In speaking of the arrival of Jesus into this world, John says, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” (John 1:11).
Take a moment and let that statement sink in. Most of us are somewhat familiar with the prophecies spoken by the prophets; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14; Genesis 22:18; Numbers 24:17; Hosea 11:1; Jeremiah 31:15 and others. Why were the “doctors” of the law and the prophets so clueless about the coming of their Messiah and our Savior? Paul says, “Their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:14–15). The means of having their eyes opened was rejected. The world has rejected Jesus because He is not a powerful, charismatic leader who immediately ascends to position of acclaim, solving all the problems facing the nations and bringing man-made peace. They are not looking for a savior who has “no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He [is] despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he [is] despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:2–3). What most do not realize is this humble man “God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11). “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12). Have you received Him? What I mean is, have you really opened your heart and let the lowly, humble Jesus take possession of your life, so sins are forgiven and you have eternal life through faith in Him? If you have, through this you have a new relationship and a new inheritance!
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In our ‘hurry’ world, there is little time to quietly think, ponder and reflect on things that have importance and lasting value – unless you are intentional and make time. We are so much in the habit of rushing through life, filling every minute with work, activities, talking, texting, listening to music, or filling every vacant spot with noise. Let me point you to some people who made the choice when they heard “these things…laid them up in their hearts” and “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 1:55-56; 2:19, 51).
What time have you taken this week to ponder, treasure and place thoughts in your heart that need deeper, fuller understanding? Those who were present at the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist could not possibly grasp all the implications of what was taking place. Neither can we! In my sixty two years of knowing Jesus as my Savior, I am learning more in these last few years than I have ever learned. That comes from intentionally setting aside time in the Lord’s presence to ponder, think, and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit for understanding. With only about three days left before Christmas, will you take time to prayerfully ponder the birth of Jesus and what His coming into human form as a servant means for you. As you gather with family and loved ones on this special day, consider taking a few minutes to share the eternal meaning of God becoming man to bear our sins and die. The story of Christmas does not start and end with Jesus in a manger. It goes on past the cross, the tomb and the resurrection to Jesus returning to God the Father in heaven and sending the Holy Spirit to indwell all who receive the Savior. Still, that is not the end of the story either. “This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11) and Jesus said, “I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). THERE IS MORE TO PONDER AND TREASURE! WILL YOU TAKE THE TIME? I was speaking last night with a man who works the ‘third shift’ at his company (midnight to 8 a.m.) and he was telling me some of the benefits of working these crazy hours. I can’t imagine at my age how anyone can work a schedule like this and maintain family life as well.
This is not a new concept. “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). Whatever the conditions these shepherds faced, they were being faithful to protect their valuable investment that was vulnerable to many dangers. Little did they realize that their simple faithfulness would place them where they could experience the greatest joy in the whole world. “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (2:9–11). As if that news was not enough; “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”” (2:13–14). Can you imagine the ecstatic joy and the message that these shepherds carried with them from this fleeting experience. It immediately set them in motion with their flock to find the source of this joy. “Let us go…and see” (2:15). It is time we stop thinking that our “jobs” or positions in life are mundane with little or no opportunity for “eternal excitement’. For those who approach every responsibility in life with a faithful attitude and as done to the Lord, God will reward in His presence with divine joy. Let this season give you new perspective on where God placed you and be faithful; expecting for HIS JOY! Luke weaves together Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus birth and the birth of John the Baptist in a very interesting manner. It began with the angel’s announcement to Zechariah and then the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary. Before Luke chronicles the birth of Jesus, he gives Zechariah’s spontaneous prophesy as he was filled with the Holy Spirit at the birth of his son John. In this prophetic declaration, Zechariah says that John will be the “prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways” (Luke 1:76).
What I see important in this prophecy is that “the child [John] grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel” (1:80). The record does not tell us that John attended the most prestigious rabbinical school because of his unusual role as “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord” (3:4). He attended ‘The School of Intimacy with God’ in the wilderness away from all the religious and intellectual minds of the day. The wilderness is a humble place to be for preparation when you realize the importance of the public role ahead. Notice also that in this hidden place, John “grew and became strong in spirit”. The meaning of the term “became strong” is that it is a “divine investment of divine power” which grew over the time John was in the wilderness. This was absolutely necessary for John to face the religious ‘big wigs’ of his day with the message of repentance. There is no doubt in my mind that God wants to use a “wilderness” training today to prepare the humble so they become “strong in spirit”. This ministry is witnessing God do this in a few corners of the world other than in the USA. I am calling on anyone who is willing to “decrease” and be trained in the wilderness to contact us. There is a desperate need in the church today to break away from tradition which quenches the Spirit and RETURN to the Scriptures as the model of life and ministry. Sadly, there are so very few who are willing to take this path. Are you willing to be counted among the “few”? PREPARING FOR GREAT WORKS OF GOD IS DONE BY THOSE WHO GROW IN HUMILITY. I do not consider myself a poet in the slightest degree. But in some way, each of us are writing poetry. Our words may not be “poetic” in a literary sense, but our words say something of either praise of man (self) or praise of God.
Mary responds very quickly to the words of blessing from Elizabeth. “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46–49). The phrase “humble estate of His servant” has some instructions for us to consider. It means the “low status of a slave woman” but ‘happy and content’ in that role. Having worked for over thirty years in ‘corporate America’, I know first-hand the pressure that is placed on those in management to excel and move up the ladder to a bigger, better position. Unfortunately, I have seen this same attitude mark those in ministry. This is a sure way to make your life and ministry very unfruitful. In several letters, Paul refers to himself as a “slave –doulos” of Jesus Christ. Like Mary, special assignments that bring glory to God require humble slaves who are willing to carry out the work assigned them without credit and without recognition. ARE YOU READY? Mary was now pregnant and there was a new sense of urgency about her life she has never had before. “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” (Luke 1:39–40). Mary was so astounded by her new assignment, she had to share it with Elizabeth who was also pregnant in her advanced years. Little did she anticipate the greeting she would receive as she stepped into that home.
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (1:41–43). It was one thing for God to look on the barren condition of Elizabeth in her old age “to take away her reproach” (1:25), it was another thing for Mary, her relative, to come to her carrying the Savior of the world in her womb! She felt very unworthy of this honor. To add joy to this special moment, her baby (John the Baptist) also leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Do you expect privileges, or do you feel they are undeserved? Humility sees every privilege as an undeserved blessing. This attitude turns the focus off ourselves and into praise of God who surprises the humble. It takes a special person with a humble spirit to fill certain roles in this world. At the top of the list is being the mother selected to “bear a son and…call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). The proof of her humility was in her response to the angel Gabriel.
“She was greatly troubled at the saying (O favored one), and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be” (1:28). She did not consider herself in a place worth receiving favor. Mary’s spirit was so troubled that Gabriel had to tell her, “Do not be afraid, Mary”. Then he adds, “For you have found favor with God” (1:30). How could this be? This was so foreign to the habit of her heart that it required divine convincing she was the right one, at the right place, at the right time. Mary was still not sure as demonstrated by her next question to Gabriel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin” (1:34). Everything the angel said to her did not match up with how she saw herself and conducted her life; unworthy and seeking to abide with God and His moral requirements. This is the type of person God is looking for. Humility is never a ‘put-on’! It is, and must be built into the fiber of our being so that even when an unthinkable opportunity comes along, we doubt whether it can really be true. Like Mary, humility makes sure, double checks, and cross-examines opportunities to make sure they are not coming from a wrong source. One more point – humility accepts a difficult assignment knowing that it is the Lord who will see you through to the end; “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (1:38). Would you go the extra distance in making sure that your heart was controlled by humility? One of the subjects I have blogged about, and frankly, struggle to understand myself, is humility. While I pointed to many Scriptures before on the subject of humility, there is one amazing example that is beyond human understanding. Why would God the Creator of all things, the utterly holy and righteous divine being, stoop into a condition called humanity, to save sinful man who only deserved judgment?
But I have more questions: Why did God chose the path of entry as a lowly babe (Luke 2:12)? Was it necessary to select a virgin that would become the talk of the public (Matthew 1:23)? Why was His birth place a cold, smelly animal stall and feeding manger (Luke 2:12)? If God came in this lowly manner, did it also require the hatred of a pagan king who sought to destroy His life (Matthew 2:13)? In the wake of this furious reaction to Jesus coming, many boys from the age of two years old and younger were killed causing innocent mothers to have empty arms. Why such a path? Joseph and Mary we on the run to preserve the life of this child they had been entrusted with (Matthew 2:13, 19-20). How did this dislocating experience play into God’s plan? The world had never seen HUMILITY like this because the opposite of humility is pride which was the cause of sin. The world system is built by Satan on pride. It is humility in Jesus that has undone the work of Satan and his pride. Jesus is continuing to undo Satan’s work through those who are willing to be humble like Jesus. Will you join His tribe? I was asked this question and felt it deserved a biblical answer. Trust it will be helpful.
As an important fact to start with, the term “soul sleep” is not found anywhere in the Bible or in any translation of the Bible. That immediately gives us a clue that it is an “idea” or “teaching” which is “extra-biblical”, meaning, it is taught from sources outside the Bible without specific support from Scripture. Where did this idea come from? One of the first writings on the subject was by John Calvin and grew out of Scriptures that refer to the state of death as “sleep” or “falling asleep” (Mt. 9:24; 27:52; Jn. 11:11; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13; 5:10). Those who teach “soul sleep” include references such as Ps. 6:5; 115:17; Eccl. 9:10; Is. 38:9. But these are not understood in their context. While this paper could go into much detail, I will cover the most important aspects of this subject. How then are we to understand “sleep” or “falling asleep”? All of the references in the New Testament refer to a believer in Jesus Christ as Savior. One important reference is John 11:11 when Lazarus became sick. Jesus says, “This illness does not lead to death” (11:4). Then in verse 11, Jesus says, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” Later Jesus says “I must go to awaken him” (11:11). For the believer in Jesus, the term “fallen asleep” is a metaphorical term meaning that death of the physical body is temporary. Death for the person who does not have salvation through Jesus, is eternal, called the “second death” (Revelation 20:14-15). Scripture makes a clear difference between the soul and spirit as distinct from the body in death. Paul helps with this subject; “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” Because the Lord is in heaven, we are not with Him and this walk as a Christian is one of faith as long as we are in these bodies. Then he continues; “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:6–8). There is no “intermediate” condition for the believer. Physical “death” or “sleep” ushers the believer’s soul and spirit into the presence of Jesus. Another very important Scripture is recorded by Luke about one of the thieves that hung beside Jesus; “And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise”” (Luke 23:42–43). Paul expressed his thoughts about departing this life by saying, “I am hard pressed between the two (staying here on earth or being with Jesus). My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23). Jesus gives a very colorful parable in Luke 16:19-31 to show there was a “great chasm…fixed” between two men; the rich man who did not believe and the poor man Lazarus who did believe. Sadly, this parable pictures the unchangeable condition at death of those who reject Jesus as savior in life. Notice also that Jesus pictures Lazarus and the rich man very aware of their surroundings. Lazarus was in a place of comfort while the rich man was in “anguish” (16:25). While both of their bodies were in the grave, their souls and spirits were experiencing two very different realities. I trust this brief explanation will help to answer the questions regarding ‘soul sleep”. I welcome questions from those who are searching for answers. After many years, it seems the Lord is beginning to work in the hearts of families and leaders in Puyo Church, Ecuador. I know from the last two visits that there was repentance and brokenness driven by a desire to get back to the Scriptures; this time with their hearts. This has been the result of prayer for years. The thrill in our hearts is inexpressible!
Someone we know well gives a first-hand report of what they see happening: “There is a branch church in Shell. On my way back from another church, I ran into “L” and he told me where they were meeting. I went last week and again this week. They are meeting in a small classroom, I think it was a kindergarten or something similar, with a large patio of cement or gravel. Anyway, just wanted you to know that I feel there is strong leadership and they are teaching on the book of Acts with encouraging interaction. The men are meeting on Friday to study as well. There were 15 at the youth meeting last night. Several young couples too with little ones. Most of them are from the Quichua Tribe in the jungle and all, except one older lady are fluent in Spanish. “ This reminds me of what was taking place in the Book of Acts; “The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.” (Acts 11:22). Often news of what God is doing requires a personal visit to verify what is taking place. Our hearts come away praising the Lord for His faithfulness to cause the seed to spring forth and become fruitful. REJOICE WITH US!! |
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