As persecution rises and conditions become more and more difficult for believers around the world, thoughts and desires for the Lord’s return become more intense in our hearts. Almost daily I hear of faithful Christians being killed, churches destroyed, and believers being marginalized from jobs and freedoms. While we should expect this from a world that hates our Savior, how we handle these circumstances is critical.
As I look at the life of Paul, I am reminded of his intensity to remain faithful to the Lord and his calling to preach the gospel, plant and strengthen strong churches. As he sat in prison, thoughts of going “home” to be with Jesus had a very strong pull in his heart. “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is farm better” than sit in a dark cell on a starvation diet (Philippians 1:23). There was another “necessity” that tugged at his heart. It was the “daily pressure…of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). That is why he said to the Philippians, “to remain in the flesh (this body) is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:25). Yes, I long to be out of this condition I am in, but like Paul, I am overwhelmed with desire to see others mature in their faith and serviceability so they can be dynamic tools in God’s hand to accomplish His work in reaching the unreached. I want this to be your focus. Turn trials into God- sized opportunities and He will give a heaven-sized reward. Revisit the core desire of your heart and they will tell you where your treasure is.
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Many have asked the question, “Why am I here?” It is a good question, only if we go to the right source for the answer. Paul in a sense asked this question as he sat in a damp, dark cell in prison. Thinking about the last verse from yesterday and the words that follow, help us to discover how he answered the question.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me” (Philippians 1:21–24). First, Paul resolved that if he was going to continue living “in the flesh” (in this physical body), it must be ONLY as a pure, clear reflection of Christ for others to see. Secondly, if that were the case, it must “mean fruitful labor” for him. The two principles must go together! To “live… Christ” will automatically result in “fruitful” ministry. This immediately raises a question about the fruitfulness of our ministries. When I say “ministries,” I am not confining it to what is done in churches or the mission field. Every avenue of life has a “ministry” aspect to it, starting with our marriages and families. If these areas of life are not bearing fruit, then you cannot expect public ministry to be fruitful. Likewise, the more we allow the Spirit to form Christ in us, the more fruitful our lives and ministry will be (John 15:5-8). After reading this, can you say that you know why you are here? It must be a fruitful purpose that glorifies God and propels His work forward. Before I give you my thoughts in this blog, I want you to read the following verses. Remember that Paul is writing this letter from a prison cell.
“Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:18–21). Today has been a particularly hard day. Pain levels vary, but today was more difficult. After being at our church and enjoying sweet fellowship with like-minded believers, we came home for lunch and a little rest. I asked the Lord to speak to my heart and turn my attention away from difficulties and give me something from His Word to strengthen my mind and heart. He directed me to these verses and I found immediate comfort and strength. Paul used his prison cell to build expectations and hope. I must do the same with pain. What was his expectation? That he would have “full courage” to honor the Lord Jesus in his body. Whether he lived or died, it did not matter. The most important objective for Paul was the Lord’s honor. In fact, if Paul was going to continue living, it was going to be all about Christ. Even if his prison term ended in death, that would be “gain” for Paul because he would be with Christ in glory. I have determined that this attitude must be mine. God may never take me out of this prison of pain, but whether he does or not makes no difference, I must live to the fullest for Christ and rejoice in the privilege of living this way for Him. Would you take this same attitude as yours? There are eleven verses in the New Testament that refer to this amazing opportunity we have through the indwelling Holy Spirit – to be filled by Him. These references appear in Luke, Acts, Romans and Ephesians. Sadly, this is a truth that is misunderstood, and in some cases, not even believed. Yet, it was clearly declared by Jesus in John 14 to 16, and then fulfilled in the Book of Acts through the New Testament Church.
I came across a quote from A. W. Tozer that I want to pass on to you for careful consideration. “You must…be satisfied that this is nothing added or extra. The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people. You must be satisfied that it is not abnormal. I admit that it is unusual, because there are so few people who walk in the light of it or enjoy it, but it is not abnormal. This is unusual only because our spiritual lives are so wretchedly sick and so far down from where they should be.” (1) Paul was concerned for the Galatians. “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (3:3). For Paul, this was not impossible! They received the Gospel and the Spirit when they believed, and now it was his longing that they live in that freedom and power. The solution to spiritual struggle is found in Chapter 5; “walk by the Spirit…be led by the Spirit…live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (5:16, 18, 25). This should be the ‘normal’ Christian’s experience – filled with the Spirit. (1) How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit, Moody Publishers, 1952, pages 41-42. It is amazing that God through the Apostle John should give us a window into the heart of Jesus for His disciples and us. He does this by recording Jesus’ longest prayer in John 17. There are many points Jesus covers in this prayer, but I want to get your attention on a couple of themes in this prayer. It is preceded by three chapters, largely devoted to the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Three times Jesus refers to the Spirit as the “Spirit of truth” (14:17; 15:26; 16:13). While the Spirit has many roles in our lives as believers, this is a very critical role. Though the Spirit is not directly mentioned in Chapter 17 (The Lord’s Prayer), the focus on Him in the previous chapters cannot be disconnected from the points in this prayer. Truth sanctifies when we let the Spirit apply it to specific things in our lives; particularly character. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (17:17–18). How would this sanctifying process take place? Jesus told the disciples that the Spirit would glorify Him, “for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you” (16:14). That must include Jesus’ words which are truth. The Scriptures combined with the teaching of the Spirit of truth (14:26) in us, gives a constant divine work in us which sanctifies. What is this for? It is to make us holy, set apart for God’s use, but it is more than that. Notice verse 18; “As You [the Father] sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (17:18). The sanctifying work of the Spirit is so we are wholly prepared for our mission in the world. I will deal with this subject more tomorrow, but for now, prayerfully consider how much you are allowing the Spirit to prepare you for God’s work in this world. To the degree you allow Him to sanctify you, prepare you, will be the degree of your effective ministry. One of the most exciting activities of the Spirit is what He does in the inner man (the heart, soul and mind). Paul uses the phrase “bear witness” in Romans 8:16; “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Let’s unpack that phrase. To “bear witness” means “to provide confirming evidence by means of a testimony.” God is not leaving His vital truth just as words on a page of Scripture, but He is providing through His presence in the Holy Spirit dwelling in us a consistent reminder that we have been adopted by God as His children.
How does the Spirit do this? He provides inner illumination through the Word of God and by our active fellowship with Him. That is why Paul says in his closing comments to the Corinthians that “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). If our hearts are being enlightened as we read Scripture, we are experiencing the fellowship of the Holy Spirit – His active teaching is taking place (John 14:26). There is another aspect of the Spirit’s witness in us. As Paul points out in Galatians 5:22-23, it is through His work in the inner man that His fruit is produced in our lives. As His work in us takes place, there is a cleansing, sanctifying effect from His witness. The Spirit is taking the Word of God and using it to removing the power of sin so we become “instruments of righteousness” (Romans 6:13) through His power in us. The challenge every Christian faces is being willing to submit to the Spirit’s witness in us. The more we learn to submit the more we will enjoy fellowship with Him. Otherwise, we will “grieve” Him (Ephesians 4:30) or “quench” Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). God has always been about securing a relationship between man and Himself that springs from the heart. This is what God wanted with Israel. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26). Possessions or ritual was not what God wanted.
Sadly, “the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13), Israel missed the best of what He had for them. God reminded Samuel when he was making the most important decision for Israel; “For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). The heart matters! There are countless examples in Jesus’ ministry and teaching where He pointed to the secret part of mankind, the heart. It is the place where the issues of life and our relationship with God are worked out. Solomon said, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). We rarely take enough time to examine our hearts and carefully evaluate what our hearts value most. There may be things we treasure that need to be discarded. Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). What do you treasure? There a delay in the program for making this post. We apologize.
We are told over and over in Scripture that the proof of any prophecy is whether the prophecy comes to pass (actually happens). I can’t imagine the excitement in Peter’s heart on the Day of Pentecost. As the disciples prepared their hearts over ten days before, the day came, the waiting was over. “They were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1) when the Holy Spirit “came from heaven [with] a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting…And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” (2:2-4). It actually happened as foretold through the Prophet Joel. So real and so powerful was this event that people from many nations “were bewildered…were amazed and astonished…[saying], how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?” (2:6-8). It is always good when people ask questions. It shows they are thinking about what they have heard and want to know more. These questions give the Spirit the opportunity to speak through Peter. He goes right back to the Scripture in Joel to confirm that they just witnessed what God prophesied 850 years before. There is more than just Joel’s prophecy, which in fact came from God through the prophet, to consider. Peter says, “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (2:33). Notice the accurate order in which Peter presents these events: 1. Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God the Father (1:11). 2. Jesus receives from the Father “promise of the Holy Spirit” (John 14:16). 3. Jesus poured out the Spirit on those gathered, praying, and waiting (Acts 2:2). This is the distinguishing mark of the Church. That promise of the Father, given to us by Christ has never been taken away. Jesus is still at the Father’s right hand, the promise has not changed, and Jesus is still pouring out the Spirit on those who believe. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THIS MAKE IN YOUR LIFE AND MINISTRY? There were many promises my father made that I clearly remember. Most of them he kept and they are the reason I was so close to my dad. We had wonderful times together, and as I got older, our conversations became more interesting and engaging. That all ended in September 1970.
One promise that is more important than any promise any earthly father can give is the promise given by God, the Father of all who have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. He pointed to this promise over 850 years before Jesus came and the promise was fulfilled. ““And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…in those days I will pour out my Spirit” (Joel 2:28–29). What days was He speaking of? Time seemed to be a long time before this promise was fulfilled. Consider the promise in Genesis 3:15 when God spoke to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”” That promise waited over 4,000 years to be fulfilled, but when Jesus came, it happened and Satan was crushed. Time is not a problem with God. It really is not the length of time that matters, but the fact that God always fulfills His promises. Jesus looked back over all those years and said, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”” (Luke 24:49). Israel may have become weary in waiting, but God never forgets and is faithful to make good on His promise. This point was very important to Luke as we see in Acts 1:4, 8, because it was going to take place in only a few days. What if we gave as much importance to the promises of God as He wants us to have? What difference would this promise make in our lives if we understood the purpose of this promise? God has kept His promise. Will we place as much value on the promised gift of the Spirit as He does? Would we give Him the place in our lives God wants Him to have? I am challenged by the sensitive spirit in Paul. Not only did he have a rigorous schedule as he moved from place to place, preaching the Gospel, planting churches, revisiting those that were planted, but he also was receiving communications through a network of faithful workmen. As little as five or six months after he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians, he is compelled to write them again because of reports regarding their spiritual condition.
It seems that these new believers were going through persecution that carried over from Paul’s visit with them. They were also being misled about “the day of the Lord” by false teachers. This caused some to stop working and become idle and “busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:11). This second letter was intended to correct their fears and get them back to work. Paul’s teaching to correct these errors can be summed up by Chapter 2:15; “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” The meaning behind “stand firm” is that we are to “continue to accept the teaching you received at first” and do not be moved away from the truth of the Gospel. This is so important in our day. As a “master builder,” Paul made sure that he presented the gospel completely when he went to a place. There was no need of adding or taking away from what they believed. This idea is confirmed in the next phrase, “hold to the traditions that you were taught by us.” The word “traditions” was not referring to man-made practices, but to truth in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This direct approach to foundational issues was so they would be “comforted…and established…in every good work and word” (2:17). It is vital that we follow Paul’s method of establishing believers and not use ‘trends’ as the basis of shepherding the flock of God. It is His, not ours! |
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