1Timothy 1:5-10 (KJV)
“5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. ...
8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine”
The law (Genesis to Deuteronomy) is God’s paradigm for life; it is what people have made it out to be is when it becomes injurious (vs. 13).
Law defines sin; above and beyond this we humans become harsh and jangled. The law is designed to be a teacher, a tool to bring us close to God. The law is about relationship with God, the pitfalls causing the distance and the invitations causing the desired relationship (closeness). The law is good in this if we use it in its God given lawfulness (paradigm).
In other words, the law is not for the righteous it is for the lawless. Something is broken, dysfunctional, and inoperable; life is not working for us but against us (sin). This is where the paradigm for relationship comes in. What did not work for Jacob, Rebekah, Joseph, Nimrod, etc… will not work for us either.
A jangled spirit cannot handle the law appropriately; desiring to teach it without understanding the relevance it has in healing and deliverance (Psalm 107:20) causes anger in the teacher and the one being taught.
Encounters with Jesus and His mind, an encounter with His person can teach us to handle the law as He did. Otherwise, the sound we produce is jingle jangled.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
JESUS IS THE DIFFERENCE
Genesis 26:12-22 (KJV)
As Abraham moved forward towards this promise it only had its beginning with him. Firstly, a nation was being birthed through him. He left his own culture, homeland, and family to establish a new family with a new culture. This process was manifested out of relational encounters with God. Once again, the law of the LORD emerges in that God is faithful to His investments, especially in His relational investments.
This law can be seen thousands of years later in the New Testament in Paul’s letter to Timothy. 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” We see this law working in this process with Abraham and Isaac his son. Abraham the father of faith was acting faithless when he lied about is wife Sarah being his sister; even though she was his half-sister, his truth was a lie concerning her being his wife also.
This same fear in Isaac his son was a faithless work when he lied about his wife being his sister. They both faced a famine in the process of possessing their promise. They both acted with faithless actions in their first steps towards the promise. Nonetheless, God remained faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.
This is the law (Torah), Genesis to Deuteronomy, every word, every tittle, every story, every relational exchange between God and humanity, this is the prophetic expression of God’s longing to establish love, to fortify relational expectations concerning His love.
And, so the same story goes on with us, it is the same story, His-story. The main difference between the Old and the New is JESUS – He makes the difference. Jesus takes us to where the Father has always wanted us to be.
As Abraham moved forward towards this promise it only had its beginning with him. Firstly, a nation was being birthed through him. He left his own culture, homeland, and family to establish a new family with a new culture. This process was manifested out of relational encounters with God. Once again, the law of the LORD emerges in that God is faithful to His investments, especially in His relational investments.
This law can be seen thousands of years later in the New Testament in Paul’s letter to Timothy. 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” We see this law working in this process with Abraham and Isaac his son. Abraham the father of faith was acting faithless when he lied about is wife Sarah being his sister; even though she was his half-sister, his truth was a lie concerning her being his wife also.
This same fear in Isaac his son was a faithless work when he lied about his wife being his sister. They both faced a famine in the process of possessing their promise. They both acted with faithless actions in their first steps towards the promise. Nonetheless, God remained faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.
This is the law (Torah), Genesis to Deuteronomy, every word, every tittle, every story, every relational exchange between God and humanity, this is the prophetic expression of God’s longing to establish love, to fortify relational expectations concerning His love.
And, so the same story goes on with us, it is the same story, His-story. The main difference between the Old and the New is JESUS – He makes the difference. Jesus takes us to where the Father has always wanted us to be.
Monday, April 28, 2014
FULFILL
Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
The conversations between God and Abraham; the actions and reactions between them are the law. The commands God gave to Noah; Noah walking out those commands is the law. Law is the interaction between God and people. Actions and reactions in relational interaction with God is law. The stories becoming the story are law. The law is prophetic History, water under the bridge, the movement of God in the life of humanity; prophetic history in the sense of being His-story. Folks get all tied up with the commands and obedience to the commands sterile of the relational motion going on between God and man. God is relational and there are laws (demands) God desires in those relationships.
Once again, the prophets are writings expressing the heart and mind of God in interaction with people. Jesus did not come to annul any interaction the Father has had with anyone in the story, He has come to fill in all the gaps and become all the Father intends to have with us. Jesus satisfies the relationship He longs for in you and I. Jesus is our mediator, He is our advocate, He is the link between us and the Father, and He is the fulfillment. Learning Him is learning what the law intended to be.
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
The conversations between God and Abraham; the actions and reactions between them are the law. The commands God gave to Noah; Noah walking out those commands is the law. Law is the interaction between God and people. Actions and reactions in relational interaction with God is law. The stories becoming the story are law. The law is prophetic History, water under the bridge, the movement of God in the life of humanity; prophetic history in the sense of being His-story. Folks get all tied up with the commands and obedience to the commands sterile of the relational motion going on between God and man. God is relational and there are laws (demands) God desires in those relationships.
Once again, the prophets are writings expressing the heart and mind of God in interaction with people. Jesus did not come to annul any interaction the Father has had with anyone in the story, He has come to fill in all the gaps and become all the Father intends to have with us. Jesus satisfies the relationship He longs for in you and I. Jesus is our mediator, He is our advocate, He is the link between us and the Father, and He is the fulfillment. Learning Him is learning what the law intended to be.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
HERITAGE
Psalm 47:1-4 ESV
“Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”...
Heritage: Something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion. Heritage is much like our parents, we do not have much choice in the matter; we do not get to choose who are parents are and there are times we do not get to choose our heritage. Some see this as a curse while others see it as a blessing. Whatever paradigm we may hold concerning heritage, the way we see it determines whether our heritage works for us or against us.
The dictionary defines heritage as an inherited lot. A lot is the portion in life assigned by fate or providence; one's fate, fortune, or destiny. I love the final words of Daniel in his last scripture of his last chapter: “But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).
There are those who struggle with their heritage as though their heritage determines their success or failure. This is faulty thinking; one must understand every generation determines their own heritage in the end. Though we may inherit our heritage in the beginning of our journey, how we go our way and live out our lives determines our lot in the end. Therefore, every generation determines the heritage for the next generation.
Consequently, regardless of the heritage we have inherited, it is ultimately up to us to leave it in better shape than what it was when it was given to us. If we choose to be negative concerning our heritage by blaming the past for our present, then our future will inevitably end the same.
On the other hand, if we can manage to own our heritage with a sense of honor, count it for what it is worth and build with a positive constructive attitude; regardless of what it has been, our heritage can become a better inheritance to the next generation.
“Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”...
Heritage: Something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion. Heritage is much like our parents, we do not have much choice in the matter; we do not get to choose who are parents are and there are times we do not get to choose our heritage. Some see this as a curse while others see it as a blessing. Whatever paradigm we may hold concerning heritage, the way we see it determines whether our heritage works for us or against us.
The dictionary defines heritage as an inherited lot. A lot is the portion in life assigned by fate or providence; one's fate, fortune, or destiny. I love the final words of Daniel in his last scripture of his last chapter: “But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).
There are those who struggle with their heritage as though their heritage determines their success or failure. This is faulty thinking; one must understand every generation determines their own heritage in the end. Though we may inherit our heritage in the beginning of our journey, how we go our way and live out our lives determines our lot in the end. Therefore, every generation determines the heritage for the next generation.
Consequently, regardless of the heritage we have inherited, it is ultimately up to us to leave it in better shape than what it was when it was given to us. If we choose to be negative concerning our heritage by blaming the past for our present, then our future will inevitably end the same.
On the other hand, if we can manage to own our heritage with a sense of honor, count it for what it is worth and build with a positive constructive attitude; regardless of what it has been, our heritage can become a better inheritance to the next generation.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
PRAYING IN THE HOLY GHOST
Jude 1:20-21 (KJV)
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
There are things deep in our spirit needing to connect with Father God. We may not have words for these things, nonetheless, they are there. Disconnected before we connect means we have to learn how to connect.
We come into this world knowing nothing with the ability to know all things. “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8). This ability (inspiration) comes from God; it is a God given ability lying inside us waiting to be cultivated. “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20).
Since we were in God’s mind before the world began there is an essence of God in all of us. Without the blood of Christ applied to our hearts and mind that part of us is dormant, dead, and pressed down (spiritually dead). We somehow have learned how to suppress it or ignore it. Connecting is as easy as laughter, crying, smiling, hurting, and breathing; it is a natural God given tendency longing to be released.
There is no better way to connect than praying in the Holy Ghost. The Scripture tells us God is a Spirit and God is Love, Spirit + Love = Holy Ghost; therefore, the Holy Ghost is pure Love. This is why praying in the Holy Ghost keeps us in the Love of God.
He is our comforter, counselor, guide, and teacher. The Love of God comforts us, counsels us, informs us, and teaches us. He is our “paraklētos,” one who walks beside us. Being baptized in Him is being baptized in love.
Praying in the Holy Ghost is God’s way of saturating us in and with His Love. If you have not had a dose lately, it is time to get a dose of the Ghost. The Spirit of God is longing to be released in us that He may bring to life things that have been dead in us since birth. Submit to the prayer life of the Spirit and you will find your faith stronger and surer than ever. In doing this we will connect with our spiritual heritage found in the New Testament patriarchs of faith.
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
There are things deep in our spirit needing to connect with Father God. We may not have words for these things, nonetheless, they are there. Disconnected before we connect means we have to learn how to connect.
We come into this world knowing nothing with the ability to know all things. “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8). This ability (inspiration) comes from God; it is a God given ability lying inside us waiting to be cultivated. “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20).
Since we were in God’s mind before the world began there is an essence of God in all of us. Without the blood of Christ applied to our hearts and mind that part of us is dormant, dead, and pressed down (spiritually dead). We somehow have learned how to suppress it or ignore it. Connecting is as easy as laughter, crying, smiling, hurting, and breathing; it is a natural God given tendency longing to be released.
There is no better way to connect than praying in the Holy Ghost. The Scripture tells us God is a Spirit and God is Love, Spirit + Love = Holy Ghost; therefore, the Holy Ghost is pure Love. This is why praying in the Holy Ghost keeps us in the Love of God.
He is our comforter, counselor, guide, and teacher. The Love of God comforts us, counsels us, informs us, and teaches us. He is our “paraklētos,” one who walks beside us. Being baptized in Him is being baptized in love.
Praying in the Holy Ghost is God’s way of saturating us in and with His Love. If you have not had a dose lately, it is time to get a dose of the Ghost. The Spirit of God is longing to be released in us that He may bring to life things that have been dead in us since birth. Submit to the prayer life of the Spirit and you will find your faith stronger and surer than ever. In doing this we will connect with our spiritual heritage found in the New Testament patriarchs of faith.
Friday, April 25, 2014
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
Exodus 6:7-9 (NRSV)
7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians.
8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'"
9 Moses told this to the Israelites; but they would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery.
“It sounds too good to be true.” Such a statement is cultured in misfortune and disappointments. Cruelties of life has a way of breaking our spirit, as a result, we become cynical in disbelief. Concerning this process I want us to consider “God’s lovingkindness.”
“… thy lovingkindness is better than life…” (Psalm 63:3). Lovingkindness is merciful favor. It is significantly connected to God’s covenanted commitment “I swore to give to Abraham.” God’s decision to give us His favor is not connected to our atrocities; He has chosen to give us His favor before our atrocities came into being. Therefore, it is not about our worth it is about His.
The choice to love us is God’s responsibility. He made a commitment to love us and in that commitment He is responsible. “He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:19-20).
Revealing truth to Jacob is the same as giving mercy to Abraham. Abraham is already dead and gone, once again, truth and mercy is not as much about Jacob and Abraham as it is His responsibility in the covenant.
Is it too good to be true, or, are we ate up from the floor up with ourselves? What a MIGHTY GOD we serve.
7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians.
8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'"
9 Moses told this to the Israelites; but they would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery.
“It sounds too good to be true.” Such a statement is cultured in misfortune and disappointments. Cruelties of life has a way of breaking our spirit, as a result, we become cynical in disbelief. Concerning this process I want us to consider “God’s lovingkindness.”
“… thy lovingkindness is better than life…” (Psalm 63:3). Lovingkindness is merciful favor. It is significantly connected to God’s covenanted commitment “I swore to give to Abraham.” God’s decision to give us His favor is not connected to our atrocities; He has chosen to give us His favor before our atrocities came into being. Therefore, it is not about our worth it is about His.
The choice to love us is God’s responsibility. He made a commitment to love us and in that commitment He is responsible. “He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old” (Micah 7:19-20).
Revealing truth to Jacob is the same as giving mercy to Abraham. Abraham is already dead and gone, once again, truth and mercy is not as much about Jacob and Abraham as it is His responsibility in the covenant.
Is it too good to be true, or, are we ate up from the floor up with ourselves? What a MIGHTY GOD we serve.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
WHERE IS THIS LEADING US
1 Corinthians 12:1-3 (KJV)
“1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”...
Give a church spiritual gifts and you will have a church full of strife and contention; give a church Jesus and you will have a church full of spiritual gifts. Bottom line – Jesus is our ability – outside of Him we are simply in and about ourselves.
We need to ask ourselves this question, where is this leading us and to whom is it leading us? Paul said, “even as ye were led.” Where things are leading us and to who it is leading us determines the authenticity and right to lead.
The ignorance Paul was concerned with was not in their spiritual abilities as much as how they were using those abilities.
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (KJV)
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
“1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”...
Give a church spiritual gifts and you will have a church full of strife and contention; give a church Jesus and you will have a church full of spiritual gifts. Bottom line – Jesus is our ability – outside of Him we are simply in and about ourselves.
We need to ask ourselves this question, where is this leading us and to whom is it leading us? Paul said, “even as ye were led.” Where things are leading us and to who it is leading us determines the authenticity and right to lead.
The ignorance Paul was concerned with was not in their spiritual abilities as much as how they were using those abilities.
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (KJV)
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
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