Luke 12:32-34
verse 32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom ..."
(Cool thought - God wants to give us the KINGDOM!...wonder what the next verse says...hmmm?)
verse 33-34 "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
You still sure you want the kingdom?
Could you say along with the disciples "we have left all to follow You."-mk 10:28?
I'm not sure about you but I'm tired of hearing this watered down...
Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then IN HIS JOY he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
Not even a hard decision when compared to gaining Jesus!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Hole in our American Gospel
Acts 2:44-45 "And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need."
Acts 4:32,34 "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common....THERE WAS NOT A NEEDY PERSON AMONG THEM, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
Luke 14:33 "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
Mark 10:21 "And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”"
1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"
Acts 4:32,34 "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common....THERE WAS NOT A NEEDY PERSON AMONG THEM, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
Luke 14:33 "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
Mark 10:21 "And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”"
1 John 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Heart Check for the Nations
Praying that the Father would send His Spirit empowered disciples to proclaim the name of Jesus to every tribe on earth. To give up temporary comforts for an eternal reward. Praying for brokeness, faith, passion, and love. Join in on that prayer.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Matthew 24:31-40 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’"
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Matthew 24:31-40 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’"
The Gospel vs. Morality
What is the difference between preaching the gospel and preaching morality? In other words... what is it that is so radically different that God has called us (the church) too in contrast to various cults that use many of the same New Testament books? What is so different about Jesus among other religion - it is the gospel - the GRACE of God revealed to lost mankind through the blameless death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus. If we cannot discern when the true gospel of God's grace is preached vs. religious morality (in the church) we are ill equipped for the work of ministry.
Mark 16:15 "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
Mark 16:15 "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
TEST EVERYTHING! ... even wild elephants!
1 Thes 5:19-22 "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."
Matthew 7:15-19 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."
2 Peter 2 "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies...And many will follow their SENSUALITY, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed...especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority...They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin...These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by SENSUAL passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption".
April 2008 - Lakeland starts... if you are not familair google Lakeland Revival and Todd Bentley
August 11 - Bentley announces that he would be leaving the revival
August 16 - Bentley is exposed by his own ministry board and is forced to resign from his own ministry because it was discovered that an ADULTEROUS relationship had been going on DURING THE REVIVAL. It was later discovered that this adulterous relationship was with a young intern in his ministry. So lets recap ... THIS GUY WAS SLEEPING WITH HIS INTERN WHILE CONDUCTING THE LAKELAND REVIVAL MEETINGS! Bentley had a wife with cancer back home along with two children. It gets worse.
September - Instead of repenting of his sin, Bentley announces that he will be divorcing his wife. Stating that their marriage was "beyond repair". Anybody ever read Jesus's teaching on divorce? And isn't that interesting the healing evangelist whose consistent message that God can heal anything ... states that his own marriage is beyond the power of God.
March 2009 - Instead of repenting, Bentley leaves his own family and marries his intern - her name is Jessa.
March 2009 - It is announced that a "restoration team" was put together to restore Bentley - this team included: Bill Johnson, Jack Deere, and Rick Joyner.
Feb 2010 - as pictured below - he is back in the saddle again...conducting meetings at Rick Joyner's Morning Star Church
Scripturally this guy would be questionable to meet the qualifications for church membership much less lead services and for the people who listen to this junk... What are you thinking - seriously? Have you ever read your Bible? TEST EVERYTHING... ESPECIALLY FRUIT... I mean that in all love...
1 Tim 3:2-7 "Therefore an overseer MUST be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil."
Betting God put that in there for a reason...further comments by Piper below
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1348_test_revival_with_doctrine/
Matthew 7:15-19 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."
2 Peter 2 "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies...And many will follow their SENSUALITY, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed...especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority...They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin...These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by SENSUAL passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption".
April 2008 - Lakeland starts... if you are not familair google Lakeland Revival and Todd Bentley
August 11 - Bentley announces that he would be leaving the revival
August 16 - Bentley is exposed by his own ministry board and is forced to resign from his own ministry because it was discovered that an ADULTEROUS relationship had been going on DURING THE REVIVAL. It was later discovered that this adulterous relationship was with a young intern in his ministry. So lets recap ... THIS GUY WAS SLEEPING WITH HIS INTERN WHILE CONDUCTING THE LAKELAND REVIVAL MEETINGS! Bentley had a wife with cancer back home along with two children. It gets worse.
September - Instead of repenting of his sin, Bentley announces that he will be divorcing his wife. Stating that their marriage was "beyond repair". Anybody ever read Jesus's teaching on divorce? And isn't that interesting the healing evangelist whose consistent message that God can heal anything ... states that his own marriage is beyond the power of God.
March 2009 - Instead of repenting, Bentley leaves his own family and marries his intern - her name is Jessa.
March 2009 - It is announced that a "restoration team" was put together to restore Bentley - this team included: Bill Johnson, Jack Deere, and Rick Joyner.
Feb 2010 - as pictured below - he is back in the saddle again...conducting meetings at Rick Joyner's Morning Star Church
Scripturally this guy would be questionable to meet the qualifications for church membership much less lead services and for the people who listen to this junk... What are you thinking - seriously? Have you ever read your Bible? TEST EVERYTHING... ESPECIALLY FRUIT... I mean that in all love...
1 Tim 3:2-7 "Therefore an overseer MUST be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil."
Betting God put that in there for a reason...further comments by Piper below
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1348_test_revival_with_doctrine/
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ashamed of the Gospel?
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..."
I find it helpful to consistently ask myself this question - what would it look like in my life if I was ashamed of the gospel? When I fall short I find that it is most commonly in these two areas:
1)Gospel Exclusivity - making the hard or difficult teachings of Jesus easier to digest, or to say it another way would be - Are you hesitant to teach that Jesus is the ONLY way to God? Or are you hesitant to proclaim that the same Jesus you worship demanded supremacy in someones life or they could not be His disciple - Lk 14:33? Are you tempted to water those or similar teachings down at times? Are you preaching a false gospel? Are you ashamed of the true gospel?
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Phillipians 2:9-11 "Therefore 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."
2)Gospel Proclaimation - settling for something less than GOSPEL PROCLAIMATION! One of our favorite ways to hide from this is behind some really sharp half truths like this one from St. Francis of Assisi "Preach the gospel always if necessary use words". Contrast this to the New Testament.
Rom 10:14-15 " How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”...also Mk 16:15, Rom 1:15, 1 Cor 9:16... Are you ashamed to open your mouth for Jesus? Yes live out the gospel... but declare it with boldness, power, authority, conviction, and CONSISTENCY! O and how about with Joy... there is no greater news to proclaim on this planet. Christ has made a way where there was no way
Are you ashamed of the Gospel?
I find it helpful to consistently ask myself this question - what would it look like in my life if I was ashamed of the gospel? When I fall short I find that it is most commonly in these two areas:
1)Gospel Exclusivity - making the hard or difficult teachings of Jesus easier to digest, or to say it another way would be - Are you hesitant to teach that Jesus is the ONLY way to God? Or are you hesitant to proclaim that the same Jesus you worship demanded supremacy in someones life or they could not be His disciple - Lk 14:33? Are you tempted to water those or similar teachings down at times? Are you preaching a false gospel? Are you ashamed of the true gospel?
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Phillipians 2:9-11 "Therefore 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."
2)Gospel Proclaimation - settling for something less than GOSPEL PROCLAIMATION! One of our favorite ways to hide from this is behind some really sharp half truths like this one from St. Francis of Assisi "Preach the gospel always if necessary use words". Contrast this to the New Testament.
Rom 10:14-15 " How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”...also Mk 16:15, Rom 1:15, 1 Cor 9:16... Are you ashamed to open your mouth for Jesus? Yes live out the gospel... but declare it with boldness, power, authority, conviction, and CONSISTENCY! O and how about with Joy... there is no greater news to proclaim on this planet. Christ has made a way where there was no way
Are you ashamed of the Gospel?
Golden Calf - Bet they didn't know it would cost them their life!
Galatians 1:6 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel"
I was in Exodus 32 this morning - Golden Calf passage. The thought slipped across my mind - Lord, how is it possible that the same group of people that You miraculously rescue from Eygpt turn so quickly from You? The ones who watched the 10 plagues that God brought about on Eypgt. The ones who obeyed the Lord when He told them to sprinkle the Passover blood over the doorposts of their houses. They saw the Lord passover them while killing thousands of Eygptians. They knew of the His power. They saw with their own eyes the pillar of fire leading them by night, and the cloud by day. Hello - they watched God split the Red Sea! - and if that wasn't enough they walked through it on dry ground! They watched the Lord drown the armies of Eygpt in an instant while they sang to the Lord "horse and rider He has thrown into the sea" (Ex 15). They ate bread that fell DAILY from Heaven and drank water that burst from a Rock! They experienced Your miraculous provision. They saw the Glory of God descend on Mount Sinai - with indescribable power - fire, smoke, lightning,and thunder... they begged Moses to go to the Lord on their behalf - they were absolutely terrified of God. In Exodus 24, Moses reads to all the people the covenant of the Lord and they all respond with a resounding - YES ... we will do all that the Lord has commanded us.
AND THEN ... out of nowhere... like a bad dream... they turn their backs on the God who had just rescued them out of Eygpt. In an instant they changed the glory of the incorruptable God for an idol that couldn't see or hear. How did this happen? Exodus 32:28 "that day 3,000 men of the people fell". I wonder if any of the 3,000 woke up that morning knowing that the decisions they would make in the next few hours would cost them their lives? These were fathers who would never again see their sons or daughters, they were husbands who would never again see their wives - their disobedience cost them everything. What about us? Do we fear God? Maybe not a golden calf - but surely something. What about everything that we bow down to in place of the One True God - Money? Status? Power? Comfort? Sinful Cravings? Cares of this Life?....etc... Do I truly fear God?
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 "For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. NEVERTHELESS, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Hebrews 3:12 "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."
Hebrews 12:4 "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
Prone to wander Lord I feel it ... Prone to leave the God I love... here is my heart Lord take and SEAL it ... SEAL it for They courts above!
I was in Exodus 32 this morning - Golden Calf passage. The thought slipped across my mind - Lord, how is it possible that the same group of people that You miraculously rescue from Eygpt turn so quickly from You? The ones who watched the 10 plagues that God brought about on Eypgt. The ones who obeyed the Lord when He told them to sprinkle the Passover blood over the doorposts of their houses. They saw the Lord passover them while killing thousands of Eygptians. They knew of the His power. They saw with their own eyes the pillar of fire leading them by night, and the cloud by day. Hello - they watched God split the Red Sea! - and if that wasn't enough they walked through it on dry ground! They watched the Lord drown the armies of Eygpt in an instant while they sang to the Lord "horse and rider He has thrown into the sea" (Ex 15). They ate bread that fell DAILY from Heaven and drank water that burst from a Rock! They experienced Your miraculous provision. They saw the Glory of God descend on Mount Sinai - with indescribable power - fire, smoke, lightning,and thunder... they begged Moses to go to the Lord on their behalf - they were absolutely terrified of God. In Exodus 24, Moses reads to all the people the covenant of the Lord and they all respond with a resounding - YES ... we will do all that the Lord has commanded us.
AND THEN ... out of nowhere... like a bad dream... they turn their backs on the God who had just rescued them out of Eygpt. In an instant they changed the glory of the incorruptable God for an idol that couldn't see or hear. How did this happen? Exodus 32:28 "that day 3,000 men of the people fell". I wonder if any of the 3,000 woke up that morning knowing that the decisions they would make in the next few hours would cost them their lives? These were fathers who would never again see their sons or daughters, they were husbands who would never again see their wives - their disobedience cost them everything. What about us? Do we fear God? Maybe not a golden calf - but surely something. What about everything that we bow down to in place of the One True God - Money? Status? Power? Comfort? Sinful Cravings? Cares of this Life?....etc... Do I truly fear God?
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 "For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. NEVERTHELESS, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Hebrews 3:12 "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."
Hebrews 12:4 "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."
Prone to wander Lord I feel it ... Prone to leave the God I love... here is my heart Lord take and SEAL it ... SEAL it for They courts above!
Inoculated?
Inoculated - To introduce a serum or vaccine into the body of a person, especially as a means to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease.
What if you had just enough knowledge about Jesus to feel like you didn't need Him? Or vaccinated just enough to ensure that you never come to know Him? Sobering thoughts with eternal significance... Do you know religious facts and rhetoric about Christ and maybe a few doctrinal answers OR do you know Jesus? Have you given Him your entire life?
Inoculated or All In?
Luke 14:33 - "So, therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
