We continue the theme that I started yesterday about Christ being with us. This is a subject that must be understood in light of the Spirit coming at Pentecost and the ascension of Christ to the Father just ten days before Pentecost.
Remember what Jesus said just before He was crucified? “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). How could Jesus speak of His going away as being " to our advantage"? Let's go back two chapters in John 14 and see another aspect of Jesus departure from this world and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Right after Jesus instructed the twelve about "another Helper to be with youforever...He dwells with you and will be in you" (14:16-17), Jesus then promised "if anyone loves me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him"(14:23). Notice the emphasis on " We will come to him!" There is a big difference between the physical presence of Jesus in His humanity here on earth and what He refers to in verse 23. During the time of Jesus' earthly walk, He was only in one place at one time. The coming and presence of the Holy Spirit meant that by through His presence in every believer, Jesus by the Spirit's indwelling is present wherever the Spirit is. What a comfort this is! Jesus says in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." May we realize more and more the presence of Christ with us.
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We often refer to the majesty of who we are in Christ and the benefits of the Holy Spirit having been sent to indwell us. I want to draw your attention to Christ dwelling in you.
Take note of these references that Jesus makes regarding our relationship with Him. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). We often place the emphasis on our abiding in Him, and this is critically important, but it is equally important that we realize Jesus is abiding in us by the Holy Spirit (Chapter 14). Our fruitfulness is totally dependent on His being in us. In praying to the Father, Jesus made these wonderful statements: “I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me...I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them”” (John 17:23, 26). What a glorious truth! Will this truth make a difference in the way we lived each day? It is a conscious reminder that Christ is in the believer wherever we go no matter how difficult the circumstances. It is always a joy to our hearts to receive first-hand news from places where we have introduced our training material. Nepal is one of those places. Our "Timothy" has been inspired by what he learned and has taken God's Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) to churches all over this mountainous country. Here is a new location that we heard about today. "This is the church I went to. I handed 10 copies of GPHD at his (the pastor's) request and said he will go through it and distribute them to the congregation. He will let me know when we can start taking them through the course. It is 180 km (112 miles) two ways, and because of traffic, it took me 13 hours to get there. Keep praying for us as I attempt to reach more and more churches with the power and glory of God's word." This dear brother is also working on GPHD to update it in Nepali to the 4th Edition. Please pray for Simon and his family, especially their new-born that has medical issues. "Chuhuiv, Ukraine is a town southeast of Kharkiv, which has been an objective of constant missile attack. The entire congregation we visited Sunday moved to a safer part of Ukraine at the beginning of the war because their church was destroyed but came back when the Russians were pushed out of the area. They came back when they thought things were settling down, but there is a real threat that the Russian army will attack again. Along with that threat they constantly face the threat of a missile hitting them.
Olena, one of the mothers who could speak English and the pastor's wife told us of their tremendous concern for their children. The pastor's wife said she trembled with fear every time there is an explosion knowing that several missiles are sent at the same time. If you heard one, you know more were coming. It is hard to imagine living with this threat day and night. There are parts of Ukraine where the threat is not as serious, but still a possibility day or night. As we prayed at the end of our time together every eye was filled with tears because this was a serious situation, one they lived with for months. The war has opened many opportunities and they are reluctant to leave. Many of the opportunities are for ministry to children who have lost parents in the fighting, the elderly, and the poor, so many have chosen to stay. I heard many heart wrenching stories of children who wandered the streets and live in basements alone because their parents were killed. I met many people who have had husbands and fathers killed on the front lines. Please pray for Olena and her church and especially pastor Roma as he shepherds his people. He asked specifically for wisdom in these circumstances." (Tom) Let me begin with some very exciting news. The Ukrainian God's Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) translation was completed yesterday! The last graphic was put in place and the whole book carefully reviewed and sent off to Ukraine for printing. They want enough copies printed immediately so the church Tom visited can start using them this weekend.
There is far more to this event than just the book. Followers of Jesus in Ukraine are hurting. The war has not only hurt them physically with death, suffering, and exhausted resources, but they feel spiritually empty. Please pray that God gives us the ability to strengthen His Church in Ukraine with the eternal truth and power of His Word. From April 4th to 16th, Randy will be with Rogers in Northern Uganda attending many graduations in multiple places. Rogers has really caught the vision for what God's Word can do through our resources. Please pray for Rogers who leads this expansive work. “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:1 In the many years I have had the privilege to teach and preach, one of my deep concerns has been that it be done with the goal of fostering spiritual maturity in all I minister to. That is why I prefer a discussionary format rather than lecture or preaching. Paul used discussion when he "reasoned daily in the hall of Tyrannus" (Acts 19:9).
The value of interchange is NOT to see who has the best ideas. It is intended to allow the teacher to receive feedback from the students so he can determine if they understand the principles that Scripture is presenting. Why is this important? MATURITY! In many of Paul's writings he, and others, point to the importance of the Church becoming mature. Paul gives a good reason for this; “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:13–14). If you are teaching and/or preaching and this is not one of your primary concerns, I suggest taking time to evaluate your goals. "We are to grow up in every way into...Christ" (4:15). About an hour ago I sent a message to a dear friend who is facing serious medical treatment for cancer. As I typed out my words, I thought of our heavenly Father's care for us, and these verses came to mind.
“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9–11). If you think Jesus' words "If you then, who are evil" are harsh, remember the setting. He was addressing the crowds who had gathered on the mountain to hear Him (5:1). Those of us who have a relationship with God as Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, have a very different appreciation of our " Father who is in heaven" and what He does for us, not only in difficult times, but all the time! For this dear friend and for you, my longing and desire is that you would increase your trust in our Father in heaven. BUT He is not just in heaven. Because the Spirit has come and dwells in every believer (John 14:16), this means that Jesus and the Father also live in us by the Spirit (14:23). Along with His continual provision, we also have His continual presence! "We (Tom and team) are now in the second largest city in Ukraine, about 25 miles from the Russian border. They wanted to take this city but have been repelled so far. There is destruction all around the city and especially in the surrounding villages, more so to the east.
We have visited several churches both in the cities and in villages near the front lines. There is a tremendous amount of fear wherever we go. Constant air raid sirens mean that missiles are on their way somewhere. We have seen and heard and even felt explosions, Including a lot of fires. We had the opportunity to hear people's stories everywhere we go. They're all praising God for their protection and for the opportunities this war has given them to minister to people. Almost everywhere we go, I had the opportunity to share the gospel with groups of people and present God's Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) to them. We have also gone to several villages near the front lines. Some villages have been totally leveled and burned. Many apartment buildings are demolished by bombs or missiles. Listening to many heartbreaking stories is very humbling. We met children who have lost both parents killed in the war and these children were found hiding in basements for weeks. In talking with people who are ministering to the needy, especially the children, they refuse to leave as long as there are children here in danger." (Tom) We are so thankful the Lord has protected Tom and his team over the weeks he has been there. Within a few days we will complete the Ukrainian GPHD and send it there for printing. PLEASE BE IN PRAYER for its completion by Wednesday for printing, and delivery. Pastors there tell us that this resource is exactly what is needed to strengthen the church and disciple believers in Ukraine. One of the biggest challenges about Easter and other occasions like it is that we tend to be stirred up while listening to a powerful message, then tomorrow comes. If we do not act by faith immediately on what we heard, the devil steals away its power in our souls.
Remember the parable of the Sower? “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). For some it may not be riches, but other pursuits that are more important than the seed of God's Word. For Thomas, it was a problem of genuine faith. “So, the other disciples told him (Thomas), “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe”” (John 20:25). Notice how adamant Thomas was by using the word "never," putting his own requirements for believing what was told him. Is that you? You may not be in either of these groups, or you may be somewhere in between, they are very dangerous places to be. I urge any who may have turned down the volume on what you heard, please ask the Spirit to rekindle His voice in you. By the time you read this blog it will be Easter morning, so I bring you a few thoughts from Scripture that should make our remembrance of Christ's resurrection more meaningful.
Three days before, Jesus had been crucified and buried in a tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. It is interesting that most of the disciples forgot Jesus words, "After three days I will rise" (Matthew 27:63; Mark 8:31; 10:34; Luke 18:33). Some went back to their businesses rather than stay for this momentous event - resurrection! The chief priests had heard Jesus say he would rise on the third day and believed it could happen. Jesus' miracles were a proof that He could do anything. “Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”” (Matthew 27:64). So, a stone was rolled to the entrance of the tomb and sealed. Would these actions hinder the power of God from accomplishing what was promised? "God raised Him from the dead on the third day..." (Acts 10:40; 13:30; Romans 10:9). There is nothing in all creation that could ever stop the plan and purpose of God. Just as Jesus sent Mary to tell the unbelieving disciple that He was risen (John 20:17), so we need reminding that the same resurrection power is available to us so we can walk in His new life. |
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