Category Archives: Discipleship and Christianity today

Is it a sin?

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Lord forgive me, sometimes it gets to me a bit when I hear some folks constantly asking, “Is it a sin to…?” Is it a sin to wear make-up? Is it a sin to watch TV? Is it a sin to eat pig? It honestly seems like this is almost the overriding thought on the minds of some people.

Well, thank God. I guess I could also look at it like at least they’re trying to please God by not sinning or doing something wrong. There are far, far more people in the world who are like what it says in Proverbs, “Fools make a mock at sin.” (Proverbs 14:9) For the unbelieving, the whole concept of sin is utterly foreign and abhorrent to them and they reject the whole idea. That’s what I wrote about in the article “What is sin?”.

But there are some Christians who evidently have come to a place where their overriding thought process is to be so fearful of sin and its power in their lives that questions of what is a sin in every affair of everyday life makes this their continual conversation. I find that sad and a misplaced understanding of things.

Is it good to have a tender conscience? Of course, absolutely. Is it good to want to “not be ignorant of the enemy’s devices”? (II Cor. 2:11) Certainly so. We definitely should be on guard in our conscience against sin and not have a light attitude towards the evils in the world or even the sins that rather easily spring up in our own hearts and minds.

But it seems to me that some Christians have not gotten very far in a Scriptural understanding of what sin is. A few verses come to mind among the many on the subject and I’ll share them here. For one, Jesus said, “Not that which enters into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles a man.” (Mat. 15:11) Or it’s like the verse, “The kingdom of God is not in meat and drink but righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 14:17) Fundamentally it has rather little to do with what you eat or don’t eat and what you wear or don’t wear.

One of the greatest chapters on the whole subject, which I often think about when I see again the outflow of questions about “Is it a sin…?” is Romans 14. Paul says, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23) Think about that!

Is it a sin for a woman to wear make-up? Is it a sin to drink beer? The principles in Romans 14 can and should be applied to so many things. Some things can be done in one situation and among some people which would not be appropriate or fitting in another and could be a sin. Paul said, “It is good neither to eat meat or anything whereby your brother is stumbled or is offended.” (Romans 14:21)

Of course, sadly, some people are offended pretty easily and they should be taught to grow up some and to have a more full understanding of the ways of the Lord. Paul said some eat meat and others being weak, only eat herbs. I can’t quote the whole chapter here but I suggest, if you feel you may have questions along this line, to do a real study on Romans 14.

The clinching verses at the end of the chapter say, “Have you faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is the man who condemns not himself in that thing which he allows. And he that eats [or wears make-up or anything else like this] is dammed if he eats if he eats not of faith. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:22 & 23)

But this whole thing can get to be a downward spiral of fear, confusion and particularly condemnation and it ends up being disastrous to your spiritual life. I went through some things like this in my early Christian life and they were really some battles. I wrote about these things in “Conviction or Condemnation”, you might find some things in that article that are pertinent to this subject.

The Bible says we should “Walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), not walk in a foreboding gloom and cloud of fear that at any second we’re going to be defeated by sin.

That’s not the perspective taught in the New Testament. Again, let me just say, it definitely is good to be aware of “the enemy who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour.” (I Pet. 5:8) And it’s certainly true that we need to remain aware of “the sins which do so easily beset us.” (Heb. 12:1)

But even more we need to be mindful of “the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7) Instead of constantly voicing our fears and worries about our sins, it would be more fruitful and Godly to praise God for the victories He’s given us over all sin and then to get busy following the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth and shows us those around us who need our love and friendship.

Maybe some folks need to memorize the verse about “He that is begotten of God keeps himself and that wicked one touches him not.” (I John 5:18) God said in one place, “I also kept you from sinning against me.” (Genesis 20:6) Overemphasizing and accentuating sin is just not what the Lord really wants from us. It’s not “looking unto Jesus”; it’s looking unto our own “old man”, our sinful self instead of the Lord.

So I have gotten that off my heart. I hope it is a help to someone and will help you to have more peace, joy, freedom and power to get going with God instead of dwelling in the valley of your own sinful self. We’re all sinful; we all have battles, that’s why we have so many victories, because we have to keep bringing it all to the Lord. “Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you, He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22) “Looking unto Jesus…!” (Hebrews 12:2) Not your sinful self.

Steadfast

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It was said of Jesus, “He set His face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) I got that verse for myself this morning in prayer. “Steadfast.” That’s not a word you read in the New York Times or hear on Fox News very much. But that’s how the gospel of Luke described Jesus of Nazareth as He moved towards Jerusalem, after 3 years of ministry, where He knew He would experience the death of the cross.

I’ve been feeling a little tired today. I’m very thankful for my life but I’ve come to a place where I feel compelled every day to really make the very most of the time and energy I have in order to plow it into the work of the Lord that He’s made possible for me. The Lord said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mat. 11:30) But He also said to His disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luk. 9:23) And I’m exceedingly thankful that the Lord has led me into the present ministry I have of producing videos in foreign languages about the prophecies of Daniel. And in this ministry, it often becomes like what Paul said of himself, “I die daily.” (I Cor. 15:31)

There’s joy in our labors but they can be real labors. So many of us have spent years working in some slavish, mundane 9-to-5 job, under sometimes rather cruel taskmasters, mostly serving Mammon in order that we can feed our families and pay bills. So, how much more should we put our whole heart into our service for God in the ministry He opens for us?

And it can come down to what can be called steadfastness. It may not be part of our character but it can be a grace given us by the Lord Himself to just not cave in to fatigue, weariness, distraction and all the things that can deter us from the heavenly vision set before us.

I guess if you don’t have the heavenly vision, it’s so much more difficult to have steadfastness. Solomon said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18) and of course for so many Christians, their personal vision of God’s will in their lives is not really full or complete.

Jesus doubtless had the heavenly vision, even if in His case that vision was His crucifixion at Jerusalem for the sins of mankind. Paul said of himself, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) and certainly Christ was the greatest example of that. He was steadfast. He “poured out His soul unto death.” (Isaiah 53:12)

But for most of us, it’s not the death of the cross or that of a martyr that’s before us. It’s the many little deaths each day , of taking up our cross each day and living out our lives in obedience to the will of God. Most churches will teach you the part about being comforted by God but fewer emphasize the Scriptures teaching us to comfort others.

Many know the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16. But fewer have embraced I John 3:16 which says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Jesus set His face steadfastly to lay down His life for us. We should take it as our calling and commission, each and every one of us, to lay down our lives for our brethren and for the lost and bedarkened souls of this world.

As has often happened, I came back from my prayer walk this morning to write up this lesson the Lord spoke to me about and laid on my heart. It’s a little like another verse that says, “As the outward man perishes, the inward man is renewed day by day.” (II Cor. 4:6) And “As your day, so shall your strength be.” (Deut. 33:25) Or as some say in a more secular sense nowadays, “it’s better to wear out that to rust out.”

But I do think, if more Christians went further in the heavenly vision of truly laying down their lives for the brethren, for feeding the sheep, for witnessing and wining souls or whatever step the Lord is leading in their lives that they have not followed, then the Lord would greatly strengthen them for the task.

God can and will give us all the steadfastness that can come when we’ve embraced the vision and have committed ourselves to a life of greater sacrifice in order to bring His life and love to this present world. May the Lord truly help every one of us who believe in Him to not only believe but also to obey Him in steadfastly going the extra mile for the sake of others and in service to our Lord and God.

Judge not?

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Many people have heard what Jesus said in one place, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) And then they’ll say, “Who are we to judge?” Personally I believe that these thoughts have been overused and misapplied to where believers have become emasculated and led to think that passive acquiescence to evil is what they’re called to do.

So let me share some less well known verses which may bring some balance on this subject. In I Corinthians chapter 5, Paul had just effectively excommunicated someone from the Corinthian body of believers for what was a vile wrongdoing. But then, in the next chapter, he went on to reprove and admonish the Corinthian Christians, saying this, “Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?” (I Corinthians 6:2 & 3)

It seems clear from this passage that the well known admonition of “Judge not” that Jesus taught was not to be taken so broadly and universally that it was to hinder believers from “judging righteous judgment”, another of the Lord’s teachings.

In fact, in that verse in John 7:24, He tells us that we actually should judge. The verse in full says, “Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgment.” As is so often the case, one passage in Scripture has been seized upon and used out of context to sadly make an imbalanced view of some admonition from God so that it ends up conveying the almost totally wrong idea.

“But Mark, Jesus did say “Judge not”. Are you contradicting Christ, Mark?”

No, of course I am not. Jesus went on to say in that passage, “with what judgment you judge you shall be judged”. And James the Lord’s brother also spoke on this saying, “He shall have judgment without mercy that has showed no mercy. And mercy rejoices against judgment.” (James 2:13) Harsh, hypocritical, myopic judgment was what Jesus was speaking against in Matthew 7.

Jesus was not teaching that we should just all utterly wimp out to where we end up being spineless neutrals, “who-am-I-to-judge”, string-for-a-backbone milquetoasts. But millions of Christians are convinced that this is the proper understanding of Jesus’ words and that “pardon-me-for-living” convictions are some kind of testimony of the love of God.

What a device of the devil! How Satan has disarmed and imprisoned so many children of the Most High to where they are rendered almost utterly useless in the battle that rages about us for the souls of men, for the morals of our nations, for the very lives and hearts of our children. I believe with all within me that the body of Christ around the world should be awake, galvanized and properly trained to be, not spectators but active participants at the forefront of the battle for right or wrong, light or darkness and God or Satan that is raging and intensifying every day.

But if your mantra is, “Who am I to judge?”, you’re already almost eliminated from being the player for God that He so desperately needs you to be.

“But Mark, who am I? I don’t have a seminary degree, Mark! I don’t know what to say, Mark! I tried it one time and someone said something that I didn’t know the answer to!  Mark, that’s what our pastor is for! He’s the one that is supposed to lead souls to Christ, not me! Mark, if people want to know about God, let them go to church!”

That’s why I sadly believe that the Lord will ultimately allow great suffering and tribulation to come upon the nominally Christian nations of the world. They may be saved but the vast majority of Christians are already defeated and disarmed. I believe many millions have saving faith; but for the most part, they’ve gone only a little further.

They may be believers, but very few can be called disciples. Of course there are exceptions to this and there are many who are more broken now, more desperate now that the powers of darkness have taken the high ground so clearly throughout much of the once Christian nations. Some are waking up. Some are fighting back and standing up for the Lord. But it’s a very small minority.

Elijah thought that he was the only one left of the Lord’s true people and he told the Lord that. But the Lord said at that time to him that “there are 7000 in Israel who’ve not bowed the knee to Baal” (I Kings 19:18). And then the Lord in effect told Elijah to get busy. God had someone of the next generation that He wanted Elijah to train, the upcoming prophet Elisha, who actually went on to do twice as many miracles as Elijah.

We just have to stand on the Rock, hold on to our crowns and continue to do all that we can, every single day for the Lord to not just be weak, passive “believers” but active, alive discipleship Christians, truly serving the Lord daily. That’s one thing we can do, we can do what we can to be faithful in our generation. God has to do the miracle; He has to bring the awakening. Or the judgment.

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. And daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” (Acts 2:42 & 5:42)

Our giants

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One of the more interesting, and to me puzzling guys in the entire Bible is the patriarch Jacob. Some may chide me for saying so but he’s always seemed like almost an anti-hero among the pantheon of Biblical greats.

Jacob even means “deceiver”. He lied to his dad. He tricked his brother out of his inheritance. And he conspired with his mother to do these things. He ended up having to flee for his life and he never saw his beloved mother again.

Did that really teach Jacob a lesson and he was a changed man from then on? No, certainly not immediately it seems. But then God had Jacob work under a more conniving and hard man than he himself was, his uncle Laban. It’s a long story but after some 21 years of work, growth and certainly some bitter lessons learned along the way, God spoke to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:4?)

“Oh, great”, you could say, “He’s finally going to be able to go home.”

In Jacob’s case, it was a good deal more problematic than that. By this time Jacob was pretty much a rich man, with vast flocks and herds, wives and children, servants and helpers. And his twin brother, Esau, who he’d so blatantly and subtlety tricked out of his inheritance, was a fairly major local warlord. One way we know this is because, when Esau heard that Jacob was on his way back, he gathered 400 of his personal troops to go out with him to meet his brother.

For what purpose? To get revenge? To give him a big hug? It seems Jacob didn’t really know. But most likely his conscience was still eating away at him because of the scoundrel/crook/rogue-like nature that seemed to be a part of his personality. And this is where it gets really interesting.

Did Jacob boldly walk at the head of his tribe and go forward to meet his brother? No, he sent almost everyone else ahead of him: wives, children, flocks, etc. And then, the night before he was to meet Esau himself, it turns out that the Bible says Jacob “wrestled” with an angel. (Genesis 32:24 & 25)

What a scene, what drama, what pathos. God had evidently softened Jacob’s heart through the years at least somewhat. It wasn’t just him alone anymore. He had a large family who he evidently loved very dearly. And now the possibility was strong that he would get what in most ways he deserved: judgment and destruction of himself and his whole family for the perfidy he’d worked on his parents and brother many years before. He probably knew that if that happened, he would only be getting what justice would decree.

Jacob’s giants were not like David’s hundreds of years later. Jacob’s giants were his own sins and his own evil inclinations. Had he outgrown the sins of his youth? Or was now the time when they would finally catch up with him and it would mean the death of himself and all he loved?

For most of us, our biggest enemy is not someone else, or even the Devil. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. “The devils are subject to us“. (Luke 10:17) But it’s our own evil spirit, our own ornery will that seems to constantly rise up like an ogre to defy God and to lead us astray, even without the devil’s help.

jacob and angelBut Jacob knew the jig was up. We don’t have the entire dialog of that night and all the details. But it must have been one of the most intense battles any man ever fought, pleading with God through the angel as Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26)

What kind of blessing did Jacob need? Well the next morning he would face his brother and 400 armed men. He needed God to have his brother’s heart touched so that he would receive him as his long lost brother rather than as the trickster and villain he’d actually been. If ever someone had to get their heart right with the Lord and probably really plead with God for the cleansing and remaking he so desperately needed, it must have been Jacob right then.

It sounds like it went on for hours, hours of desperate prayer, wrestling not only with the angel but also his own sins that so easily beset him. But at last, Jacob found grace in God’s sight. The angel even gave Jacob a new name at that time, “Israel”, meaning prince of God and man, perhaps signifying that he was “a new creature” (II Corinthians 5:17) in God’s eyes.

Jacob and esau meetAnd although we don’t know all the story of that momentous night, we do know that, almost surprisingly, the next day Esau didn’t go forward to kill Jacob. It says, “And Esau ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.” (Genesis 33:4) A heartfelt embrace of brothers, much matured and changed through the years who were just glad to see each other again.

Would things have been different if Jacob had not been so desperate in prayer the night before? I’ve always really thought that. Because Jacob really got down to desperate prayer with God, perhaps one of the most desperate in the Bible, most likely God was able to change Esau’s heart also to have mercy rather than justifiable judgment against his brother. God saw that Jacob was desperate for God’s mercy and the Lord did a major miracle.

What a story. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. Getting the victory over “the sins that so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1) is our greatest challenge. And, let’s face it: a lot of us don’t always win that battle. May God help us all to fight our “giants” that defy us and will defeat us except for our desperate prayers for the Lord to “deliver us from every evil work and preserve us unto His heavenly kingdom.” (II Timothy 4:18)

Christmas and prophecy

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No other event from 2000 years ago holds the attention of the world like Christmas and the birth of Jesus does. On the other hand, some might say of Christmas, “Not again!”. Or their words might be, “Some unwed teenager has a baby in some shed and we all go crazy!”

But I can tell you one element that’s almost always left out about the story of Christmas which originally was virtually paramount to those who first heard it in the time of ancient Israel. “What’s that?” you ask? Here’s what: Christmas. Was. Prophesied! It’s that important and now virtually unknown. I’ll attempt to explain.

As much as some castigate Christmas, it’s helped make it so that the events of Jesus’ birth are known far and wide and are celebrated yearly, as they have been for 2000 years. People all over the world, Christian or otherwise, often know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. You may be a kid in Baluchistan or in a yeshiva in Brooklyn. But if you ask your teacher, “What’s this thing about Christmas?”, they’ll probably be able to tell you what Christmas is.

But almost no one knows why it matters that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, much less the circumstances of His mother, Mary. And that’s because fulfilled Biblical prophecy has become one of the unknown phenomenon of our enlightened times. Has there been a conspiracy or intentional cover-up to remove Bible prophecy from our knowledge? I don’t think it’s actually that. Nevertheless the plain fulfillment of prophecy is one of the greatest proofs of a supernatural God who has a plan for mankind and is steering events toward an ultimate showdown between Light and Darkness.

“Great, Mark; so what was prophesied about Christmas?”

First, Bethlehem itself was predicted specifically by God through the mouth of the prophet Micah to be the birthplace of the coming King of the Jews, over 700 years before Jesus’ birth. It says in Micah 5:2, (God speaking to the town of Bethlehem), “But you Bethlehem, though you be small among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth the one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth is from old, from everlasting.”

The Jews of Jesus’ time knew exactly what this meant and even used it to try to prove Jesus was not the Messiah. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. So the unbelieving Jews knew Jesus was from Nazareth and said, “Has not Scripture said that Christ shall come from the seed of David and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” (John 7:42) But Christ did come from the town of Bethlehem; He was born there although he grew up in Nazareth. I guess those folks who were trying to use this against Him hadn’t done their research.

What does that mean about “the seed of David and the town of Bethlehem, where David was”? Again, it was majorly significant to people 2000 years ago, but virtually not at all to us now. The Messiah to come for the Jews  was to be a direct descendant of King David, Israel’s greatest king. And, like we’ve read, the Messiah was to be from Bethlehem. Now, 2000 years later, folks still know Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But the significance of this has been erased from the story.

It was prophesied, foretold and every Israeli at that time knew it! They also knew the Messiah was to be a descendant of King David. Was Jesus a physical descendant of David? Absolutely. The opening 16 verses of the book of Matthew traces the linage of “the Virgin Mary” directly back to King David. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1)

And what about that “Virgin Mary” thing? Please, humor me here but… It. Was. Prophesied! It was prophesied of the Messiah to come that He would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 says, “The Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” And Emmanuel means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

The Messiah that every Jew back then looked for would be born in Bethlehem, born of the linage of David and born of a virgin. That’s why Christmas is so important, because Jesus was not some ordinary little baby born to an unmarried teen. He was and is the Messiah promised to Israel.

There’s more. The Roman world of that day knew already that a King was about to be born to the Jews because the knowledge of the prophecies of Daniel was known to some degree throughout the world of that day. In ancient Roman writings can be found places where they knew that Rome was “the fourth kingdom” (Daniel 2:40 & 7:23) and that at that time God would “set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed”. (Daniel 2:44)

If your Christmas has been whittled down to some quick meal like at a fast food joint, if the ingredient of fulfilled prophecy has been eliminated from your spiritual meal, then you surely aren’t getting what was originally there. I just get incensed at how spiritually weak, depleted and malnourished the people of this world have become because they’ve lost the knowledge of God’s mighty power and willingness to foretell the key events of our existence and future here in this world. Christmas was not only a historical event; it was one of the most prophesied events in the history of mankind. But that’s been virtually lost to us.

I hope you have a merry Christmas. But I also hope you “grow in grace and knowledge” (II Peter 3:18)  and are “strengthened in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16) by the power of the truth and Word of God, so much of which is so distant and foreign to the vast majority of those of us in these times. God help us all! Merry Christmas.

Green leaves hanging on

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It’s December, way past Fall, right? But some green leaves are still hanging on. They’re still green, not even turning yellow yet. How’s that happening? I guess they must have a real good grip on the branch. And also they probably were having a good connection with the sap all Spring, Summer and even Fall. Admittedly, there are not many of them. And you can be sure that sooner or later they’ll begin to turn yellow and eventually fall from the tree, like the vast number of other leaves.

Still, it gives one pause for thought. Why do some last longer than others? Why are some still alive and green when all their friends have turned yellow and been blown away? Maybe it’s genetics. Maybe those leaves just got “the luck of the draw” and were “blessed by nature”, as some say, to last longer than others. That might have something to do with it. Even the Bible talks about chance and says “time and chance happen to them all”. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

I’m no arborist so I don’t totally know why this happens. But just the knowledge I do have, simple things that we can all relate to like “holding on”. The Lord told us to “Hold fast that which you have, that no man take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). Well, those leaves have still got the look of summer to them against the cold blue skies of winter because they are holding on.

Jesus said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in Me.” (John 15:4) I think those green leaves still holding on have probably been doing a good job of really abiding in that tree. They still have life in them. The flow is still there, they are even still producing photosynthesis as they cling to the branch, sending food back to the tree and nourishing it, even in December.

King David said of a person of God, “He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.”(Psalm 1:3)  So those green leaves, still hanging on in December are a visible example of how God wants us to be.

This little lesson for me happened in basically the same spot in our far backyard this morning as did a similar one around a year ago when I saw a bright red cardinal in the same area, bringing color and cheer against the background of the death of winter. That lesson was called “Cardinals in the winter”.

Of course, as I’ve written elsewhere before, in fact almost many times, “Everything means something“. This is what Paul said in Romans 1:20, “The invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead.” King David understood this also and said in Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech and night unto night shows knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1-3)

There is so much information all around us, so many lessons that speak to our hearts through the day if we’re going slow enough to hear them. Paul said, “There are so many voices in the world and none of them is without signification.” (I Corinthians 14:10) Like those leaves. They are holding on. They are still green and full of sap. They haven’t even turned yellow yet.

Maybe it’s even something that could apply to the vision of the future that Bible prophecy points to. One of the signs of the future times is a great “falling away” (II Thessalonians 2:3) and of course many believe we’ve already crossed that bridge a good while back. Formerly strong Christian nations have fallen so far away that true Christianity is in retreat and almost gone in many nations. The “leaves”, the people of faith (what few remain), have mostly turned a pale green or fully yellow, ready to fall away.

And yet, the Word and plan of God says there will still be green leaves on the tree, even in the darkest winter to come, the final days before the return of the Lord. The Bible says there’ll still be green leaves on the seemingly dead tree of Christian faith. “The people who do know there God shall be strong and do exploits. And they who understand amoung the people shall instruct many. ” (Daniel 11:32 & 33), even during the worst onslaughts against Christian faith that ever will happen.

And, strangely, taking the analogy further, the Bible says that some of those last green leaves on the tree will remain until the Spring of all Springs, the glorious return of Jesus “in the clouds with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).

How do I know? Because the Bible says so. It says that at His coming, in that spring of all springs, not only will “the dead in Christ rise first”, but also “we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with Him in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (I Thessalonians 4:16 & 17). Green leaves holding on till the spring, holding on through the winter, the worst winter ever for the people of faith.

Some will hold on, abiding in the vine to welcome the great King into the glorious Millennial Kingdom of God to come. Lord help us all still holding on to the Branch and abiding in the vine to continue to stay alive and flourishing for Him. Praise God. “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” (Psalm 92:14)

Are you in your war room?

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I saw a really good movie last night, “War Room”. Often Christian movies can be a little corny and contrived but this one hit the mark for me. Of course the cynic in me and the cynic among us will say that things aren’t always just like we see in this movie. The other side of the coin is that I personally have experienced what’s in this movie and it changed my life.

It’s not exactly a low budget film but it’s no Hollywood extravagance either. A young wealthy African-American man and his wife are having marriage difficulties when the wife meets a woman a generation older than her, Miss Clara, also African-American. Over coffee Miss Clara learns of Elizabeth’s despair about her marriage and she suggests that a Christian and Godly approach to the trouble would be to fight the problem in prayer and with spiritual weapons to get at the root of the difficulties: sin, forgiveness and the huge need of them all for God’s grace.

In one sense it’s a very modern movie, dealing with modern problems. But in another sense it’s a throwback to the storylines of 60 or 70 years ago. Once upon a time, it was common to have happy endings to movies. Like the famous movie with Jimmy Steward, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, things all work out in the end. That type of movie fell out of vogue long ago and so often in more recent times there’ll be some horrific ending, some depressing tale ending in death and defeat for everyone. But the thing is, for those who are in the Lord and are holding on to Him and His will, there really are happy endings, just like in this movie.

Elizabeth, the wife, after some early stumbles, finally gets down to real and desperate prayer in her “War Room”, a cleaned out closet in her house, after seeing the example of how Miss Clara had done the same at her house. I hate to say it but somehow I feel it does work better to have the lead characters in the movie be African-American. I know white folks who are just as messed up as this young wealthy couple. And also I know white folks who are just as adept at storming the gates of heaven through desperate prayer to get answers as is Miss Clara. But for this movie and for the purpose of the producers, it seems to work better with things the way they’ve done it.

So after Elizabeth getting her own repentance and personal house in order, she continues to pray desperately as she literally fulfills the words of Jesus to “enter into your closet and shut the door and pray to your father in secret.” (Matthew 6:6) And, as the Lord said, the “Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” Elizabeth’s husband, a very successful man by wordly standards, comes to his senses of the heart that he’s been a failure to his wife and daughter to love them and a failure to God in his hard heartedness.

Well, there’s more to it but this is the gist of it. Not a bad story line at all and certainly one that’s as needed to be seen in our times, as ever. But the original twist in some ways is that the “war” has to be won in personal, fervent prayer, repentance, confession and then going on the attack against the devil to be able to regain the ground lost to “the prince of this world”. (John 12:31)

The movie of course was panned by critics but, not surprisingly, it’s become a pretty successful movie at the box office. I personally really liked it and agree with everything that they portrayed there. If I had any qualms, it would maybe be from the perspective of someone who’s lived outside the USA for over 30 years of my adult life. The movie was evidently made and directed towards an American audience. Some scenes were reminiscent of somewhat frothy American television productions and at times I did  wonder how those in Berlin or Budapest would view and react to what they were seeing. But for those who can rise above the chummy, feel-good Americana portions of the film, the actually message and spiritual reality that’s being portrayed there is five star.

I was glad to see that there wasn’t a whisper of politics in the film and the actors all evidently really knew personally what they were trying to portray. Miss Clara in particular, the elderly African-American prayer warrior (played by Karen Abercrombie) was excellent. Again, a quibble, I’m from the southern USA and I could understand her accent without a problem. But possibly those outside the USA might have difficulty understanding Miss Clara’s southern, African-American drawl.

Overall I’d say this is a great movie and one I’d recommend. Of course if you are a smug, staunch unbeliever and scoff at prayer, you’ll probably not watch it. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between faith in God and unbelief? In that case, I’d say you should check it out.

What’s in this movie isn’t exactly what happened to me but some of it is mighty close. I had to go through some forceful breakings of my stubborn will and hardened heart by the hand of God. And it was only the undeserved grace of God I ever pulled through into the wonderful life I’ve had for many years. This movie well portrays the spiritual realities of desperate prayer, repentance, fighting spiritual warfare through prayer and the intervention of God in our lives. It’s a good movie; I hope you’ll check it out.

Intimacy in Cyberspace ?

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Intimacy. Let’s admit it: we all want that. Physically, yes; but even as much or more that union of heart with heart with another kindred soul. Jesus prayed to His Father, “That they all may be one, as You, Father are in me and I in you.” (John 17:21) Some have it in their families, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, the special feeling you have with your grandparents.

Intimacy is one of the most desired, sought and even most needed things we have in our lives. And now in our times we have the internet and cyberspace which has made it possible to be in contact basically with nearly anyone anywhere in the world. It’s certainly been a huge thing in my life to where much of my time is based around the material I post on line and communications I have all over the world with people I work with or with ones who’ve viewed or read my material

But am I enjoying intimacy in these settings? Is cyberspace satisfying the deepest desires of my soul and heart? In one sense I can definitely say no. On the other hand, equally I also have to say that some of my interactions with this vast assembly of friends and acquaintances have definitely been very satisfying and encouraging.

Maybe it comes down to what it takes to really satisfy each individual. Some know what real intimacy is like. It can be pinnacle experiences you’ve had in your relationship with God and Christ. It can be those incredible moments of bonding and unity with your mate, where you know you are truly loving that person and are being loved. Even times with your best friend, sharing your heart, being listened to and understood, even that can be a form of intimacy. And of course the interactions we have with our families, when things are going really well, is also a degree of intimacy that can sometimes be sustained over many years.

So how does cyberspace work as being an avenue of intimacy? While it’s been truly fantastic for me personally in being able to reach out across continents to where I’m getting to know folks in places like Rwanda, Dagestan, Nagaland and even remote towns where there are no roads to those places, it still doesn’t beat the real thing.

Real time. Face time. Human to human, right-in-front-of-you where you can see their face, hold their hand, hear their voice. That still is the benchmark of intimacy. We’re not cyborgs. We’re flesh and blood human beings who know the true and full reality when we see it. Cyberspace has been an incredible blessing. But for me it’s not been able to replace the need for traditional reality that humanity has known for millennia.

So, like for probably millions of people, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” In the Lord I certainly have. “You are complete in Him.” (Colossians 2:10) But it’s also true that, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) Even when Adam had God with him in the Garden in a closeness most of us can’t even imagine, God still knew that Adam needed someone like himself beside him. And it’s still the same today.

While I’m thankful for the mass of friends and acquaintances I’ve come to have through the internet, I have to be honest and say that this other aspect of my life, real-time, face-time traditional reality intimacy with others is still pretty lacking in some respects and I feel it a lot.

I can imagine that very many people have turned to cyberspace to try to satisfy the aching void so many feel of the need for real closeness, even true intimacy. I don’t know if you could compare it to those who turn to alcohol or drugs to relieve their heartache but maybe there’s a comparison. But on the internet, you’re mostly interacting with someone real, an actual individual at the other end of a Facebook chat or your email message. So it’s not like alcohol really in that sense. But it can only go so far.

Does intimacy imply ecstasy? No. Solomon said, “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, so does the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty council.” (Proverbs 27:9) It’s like what I wrote about in “Jonathan, son of Saul”. Evidently King David and Saul’s son Jonathan had a very deep and strong friendship. But there never was any hint of anything physical about it.

Every person needs real, deep intimacy. That’s what we have with God through Jesus. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5) We are restored, we are reconciled to God in Christ. And those things can bring joys and emotions that words sometimes can’t really reach.

And yet…, and yet we who are still here in this world most of the time still need others. We also need human love. Unity, contact, oneness. It says in the Bible, “Now we know in part, but then shall we know, even as we are known.” (I Corinthians 13:12)

It sounds like, in heaven, intimacy will be the coinage of the realm, intimacy with Christ and God but also with an incredible oneness with each other. But here…? Well, thank God for the internet and the good that has come of it. Still, for me at least I yet yearn and long for intimacy in this world and I know that is not really going to come through cyberspace.

It’s going to have to happen in real time, traditional reality. “The greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13) God help us to continue in Him and His love. And, if it be His will, love with another human being, even real time intimacy.

Commit

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Commit, committed, commitment; lots of really important words from the same root. It’s an often familiar concept, not only to Christians but to everyone. Commitment is usually needed at every level of life, not only for success but even for some measure of contentment.

But this morning that root word, “commit” stood out to me as I went to the Lord in prayer. The Bible says so much about “Commit your way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5) For the people of faith, this is one of the most essential steps in our spiritual life, one of the most important components of our inner character. The Lord said, “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) and so we are charged throughout the Bible, through one admonition or the other, to “Come boldly to the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

I’ve heard that Martin Luther had so much to do one day that his helper, Philip Melanchthon, suggested that they cut their normal lengthy prayer time down so they would have time to do all that was before them. To this Luther replied that actually they would need to double their prayer time so that everything could be accomplished.

I expect that Luther fully understood the necessity of committing things to the Lord in prayer. One of the biggest changes in Luther’s life came in the middle of a lightning storm when he vowed to commit himself to the Lord if God would protect him through the storm.

For Christians there just isn’t any other way. Solomon even said, “Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts shall be established.” (Proverbs 16:3) God can even clear up your mind from plaguing “vain thoughts” if you take it all to the Lord.

There’s just a ton of Scripture to highlight the importance of committing everything to the Lord. Paul wrote to Timothy about the persecution he was receiving as well as his impending martyrdom, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” (II Timothy 1:12)

Paul had committed it all to the Lord. He spoke of this to the Philippians, admonishing them to “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6 & 7)

That’s certainly one of the benefits of committing things to the Lord in prayer. You’ve laid your burden before the Lord, you’ve “cast all your cares on Him” (I Peter 5:7)  and you can have the peace of God through His Word that He’s going to take care of things. That’s just how it works for the people of faith. That’s the procedure, the contract, the method that God has laid out for us so that we’ll be in His will, we will have committed out way unto Him. And of course it should go without saying that we also continue to be open to His leading and guiding on the mater we’re praying about.

This is what I wrote about in “God will reveal”. The idea of course isn’t or shouldn’t be, “God, here’s what I want to happen! And now, God, make my plans all work out!” Hopefully we know better than that. Even Jesus said to His Father, “Not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

It should go without saying that what you’re praying about, what you’re asking God for should already be within His will and what He’s been leading you to do. This is what’s meant in I John 5:14 when it says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

But there has to be, not only commitment but also committing. We have to take it all, every worry, every need, every moment and task of the day to the Lord, asking Him to do it all. “Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it.” (I Thesselonians 5:24) That’s the kind of results that come from committing our ever concern and action to the Lord.

Paul told the Philippians, “It is God that works in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philipians 2:13) And that happens after you’ve committed it all to the Lord, you are emptied of yourself as you pour out your heart to the Lord in prayer for Him to take over and work in you, through you and with you.

Maybe this isn’t normally a first grade lesson in the school of Christian faith and experience. But whenever it comes up in your life, I believe it’s a grace and quality that’s virtually indispensible in the fullness of the character the Lord wants us to have. I hope you’ve learned to daily commit your life, your thoughts, your heart, your desires, your will and your actions to the Lord. If you do that, He won’t fail to bless you beyond measure for your committing your life to Him.

“Cast your bread upon the waters…”

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Thank God for something new. We all need to get fresh things from the Lord, to hear from Him “new every morning”. Otherwise it can end up that we feel like we’re following afar off and we can begin to wonder if He still is near to us in our lives, as we know He should be.

This morning I was out for my morning prayer walk on what’s been a rather bleak, gray and cold early winter day. And while I was pouring out my heart to the Lord about the day before me, I ended up praying a prayer I’d never prayed before. It kind of surprised me but then I checked my heart and did feel that it was something bubbling up from the Holy Spirit within me, rather than some vain thought.

It surprised me when I was praying and I prayed to the Lord, “Cast your bread upon the waters for you shall find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1). I never in my life thought of that verse as a prayer. I’ve always thought of it as an injunction to us, an admonition from God to His people to give and share liberally and that one day that liberality will come back to us.

But this morning the Holy Spirit turned it into a prayer from me to God, “Cast your bread upon the waters…”. And I guess that can fit too. We can ask the Lord to cast His bread upon the waters. The waters are us, the peoples of this world who all desperately need the bread of God in all the many forms, fashions and ways that God in heaven sends it. Jesus said “He sends the rain on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45) He feeds the birds, Jesus said, and of course the point was that He will feed us as well.

But then also He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” .(Matthew 4:4) For those of us who know the Lord, we really should be hearing from Him, even every day. We need to be those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” because, Jesus said, “they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:45) Yes, first of all that should be in our times spent in His written Word, the Bible. That’s our first and foremost place to connect with the Lord, through what He’s already said and which has been written down for us.

But to keep our contact and relationship alive with the Lord, to have a fresh experience with Him, we really do need to have times where He’s expressing Himself to us through the Spirit, moving in our lives, doing miracles, even little ones, and in whatever way manifesting Himself to us.

He wants that. He wants that kind of close, thrilling, life-changing relationship with each of us every day. It doesn’t have to be in church, it certainly doesn’t have to be in some ritual or ceremony, and it most likely will not be in some political activity. But God wants us to, right now and every day, have a vibrant and alive relationship with Him. No, it won’t be some constant near ecstatic sensation where you’re just on the edge of your seat throughout every day. But there should be times where there’s that something that can only be explained by the fact that the Lord sprinkled a little heaven on you right then.

In fact, we’re already in heaven, the Bible says, as strange as that may seem. Ephesians 2:7 says “We are set down in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” We already have a foretaste of heaven to come; He’s already feeding us with the spiritual manna from heaven if we keep coming to Him for it.

So that ended up looking like a new prayer the Lord gave me today, that He would cast His bread upon the waters. It reminds me of another little thing I got from the Lord some months back on another morning prayer walk when the Lord brought to my attention a bright red cardinal in our back yard and I wrote, “Cardinals in the Winter” about that.

Well, praise God. Thank God for prayer. Sometimes we don’t know what to pray and then, the Bible says, “We know not what we should pray for as we should but the Holy Spirit makes intercession through us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26) It’s just good for us to really pour out our hearts before the Lord. And then it’s maybe even better when the Lord punches through our often dull spirits to speak to us and give us something fresh from Him. We all need this. I sure needed to hear fresh from Him this morning. God bless you and God help us all to have and keep a living daily relationship in prayer with the Lord.