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Posts Tagged ‘bible’

The Shade of a Huge Rock

Posted in Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , , , on October 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Isaiah 32:1-2 “Behold, a king will reign righteously, and princes will rule justly. And each will be like a refuge from the wind, and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land”.

Isaiah 25:4 “For Thou hast been a defense for the helpless, defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat”.

Many years ago, while I was in a very severe testing in my life, a dear friend/mentor told me that one day I would be “like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land”. He told me to meditate on those verses in Isaiah. Now years later, as I look at these verses, I see that the testing of the Lord is what forms us. We become conformed to His image and learn obedience through testing and suffering. Even Jesus “learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Heb 5:8)”.

Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple”.

Oh, to be such a disciple! To have learned of the Lord how to be like Jesus, “to sustain the weary with one word”! To be a refuge and shelter from the storms of this life! To have rivers of water “flowing from our innermost being” (John 7:38). To be like a “shade of a huge rock in a dry and parched land”!

We can be these things to those around us. In our churches, in our lives outside the church and in our families. We have something in us that the world does not have. We have the Spirit, and it can flow out of us to show mercy to all around us. Lord help us to be more like You!

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No Lasting City

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on October 15, 2025| 1 Comment »

No Lasting City

We are told in Hebrews 13:14 that “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come”. What a great encouragement and hope that is! When we compare that “lasting city” to our current city, they are light years apart! Maybe we don’t talk about “that city” as much as we should. We are told in Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”.

I was born in Denmark and was a citizen of Denmark. I was seven years old when we moved to America. I had left behind my grandparents, my aunts and uncles and all my cousins. It was quite a large family that we had left behind. I never saw most of those relatives again. I never saw my grandparents again.

While I had moved to America, my citizenship was still in Denmark. While this analogy may not be perfect, my heart was in Denmark. I longed for that country; I longed for my grandmother in particular. All that I loved was in that country. Now as a Christian, I long for my Savior, I long for my new “country” in Heaven.

Are we too enamored with this life that we do not speak too much of the next? We have a citizenship in a “lasting country” that is so much better than our current country. Our world is filled with so much evil. It is hard to even watch the news or read it online, even accurate news is filled with evil. Have we forgotten that our citizenship is in heaven? Maybe we should talk more about the “everlasting city”, maybe we should talk more about what God has prepared for those that love Him and love His appearing.

Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”. We are to eagerly await His return. And if we die before His next return, we are to continue seeking that “lasting city”.

Colossians 3:1-2 “Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”.

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Bringing the Lame and Blind

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , , , , on June 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

By David Ravenhill

If you were to ask an average believer how many of them stole something this past week. I’m sure the vast majority of them would look at you dumbfounded at the very suggestion. We are all well aware that stealing is forbidden by God and made it to His top ten list of commandments. ‘Thou shalt not steal’ ranks just below ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’.

Now if stealing is wrong, and it clearly is, then stealing from God Himself would be the ultimate theft. Right!? According to the Prophet Malachi, God accused His people of robbing Him. The robbery was in their tithes and offering which they either withheld completely or replaced with inferior offerings.

Just in case you’re not familiar with the passage I’m referring to, here it is:

‘But when you present the blind for sacrifice is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would He receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts. “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive you kindly?” Malachi 1:8,9

God was clearly upset with His people and the way they were treating Him. God goes on to say.

“…you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I AM A GREAT KING…Malachi 1:13,14

The point I’m trying to make here, is that in the New Testament, our sacrifices are no longer in the form of four-footed animals but through our praise and worship. Here is how the writer of Hebrews refers to it.

“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

Nothing perturbs me more than going to church and having to listen to God’s people barely uttering a word of praise. The vast majority of people are not even singing and those that are can barely be heard. Almost every Sunday I go home with a pit in my stomach telling myself. ‘We robbed God again’, We robbed God again’. If that’s how I feel, then I wonder how God feels?

God had to remind His people that He is a GREAT KING. He’s trying to tell them to honor Him as such and not treat Him as though He’s not that important. If you turn from Malachi to Matthew just a few pages on but 400 years later, we have the account of the three Magi announcing to King Herod that they were on their way to worship the King of the Jews. Where they bringing the blind and the lame? No, they brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh; a sacrifice and offering worthy of the KING.

Keep in mind that under the Old Testament economy the priest was responsible for examining every sacrifice prior to it being offered. If the sacrifice was blemished in any way it was to be rejected; only the very best sacrifice was acceptable. No wonder we read the Psalmist saying,

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.’ Psalm 19:14

Today, we no longer bring our sacrifices to an earthly priest but directly to the Lord Himself who is our great High Priest. He is the one who decides to accept or reject our sacrifice of praise. Unless we are doing our very best to offer Him as perfect a sacrifice as possible, then we are no different from God’s people in Malachi’s time, who substituted the lame and blind instead of offering the best of their flock.

We read in Proverbs

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27

If we apply this verse to God Himself, then surely, He deserves the praise and honor that is due Him. God is worthy of so much more than just singing a few self-centered songs we refer to as worship. Worship should focus solely on God’s greatness, majesty, holiness, righteousness, and power. I love the lyrics of that song that says ‘Let’s forget about ourselves and concentrate on Him and worship Him’. I’m convinced if we truly did just, that we would experience so much more of His presence in our services.

Throughout God’s word we are exhorted to ‘Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord.’ Or ‘SHOUT joyfully to God, all the earth.’ Or ‘O clap your hands, all peoples; SHOUT to God with the voice of joy.’ Nothing should excite us more than being in His presence and then in turn to let Him know how much we love Him.

One last thought. Imagine being asked to take charge of preparing a large family Thanksgiving meal. Family members will be driving in from various places, some even flying in from overseas for the occasion. Chances are we wouldn’t find you shopping for a turkey the same day of the meal, or trying to decide at the last minute whether or not to serve cake and ice-cream or apple pie for dessert. No doubt you would have been planning for weeks or at least days before.

Worship should be considered as the greatest of all Thanksgivings. The ‘first fruits’ of any service, is the time we set apart, to give thanks to God for all His benefits. It is the responsibility of the worship leader to take the necessary time to pray and prepare for this very special occasion. Every detail should be thought out in advance and not simply thrown together at the last minute. Each song should be skillfully knit together to produce a seamless tapestry of worship fit for the King of kings. The task of the worship leader is to cast up a highway of song that leads the congregation into the very presence of God. Songs should be considered as steps with each song lifting us higher and higher until we find ourselves in awe of His glorious majesty.

The role of the worship leader, is in many ways, as important or even more important than the one delivering the message. The worship time is God’s time, and should be treated as such, while the remaining time is for our benefit and spiritual growth.

A word of wisdom here to those leading worship – let the songs do the work. In other words refrain from talking except for your initial welcome. Now a word to those in leadership. Don’t hijack the worship by veering off into some type of ministry time, that can come later in the service. Prophetic words or words of knowledge won’t perish if not used immediately. There is a time and place for everything so let’s not short change God by interrupting the service and thereby robbing God of all the honor He deserves.

If I’ve ruffled a few feathers please forgive me. I’m simply trying to right a wrong that has invaded the church for far too long. Let’s WORSHIP HIM!

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This Prophet Refused to Take Money

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on June 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It is an interesting story, the story of Elisha and Naaman the leper. Naaman reluctantly went and dipped seven times in the Jordan River and was healed because there was a prophet in Israel. He also realized that there was only one God, the God of Israel.

When Naaman offered Elisha a gift, Elisha told him “As sure as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing” (2 Kings 5:16). After Naaman had left, Elisha’s servant Gehazi went after Naaman and lied to him in order to get a gift of silver and clothes. When Gehazi returned, Elisha confronted him because in his spirit he knew what Gehazi had done. It did not fare well for Gehazi when Elisha asked him in 2 Kings 5:26-27 “Is it a time to take money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow”.

The story speaks for it self, Carl Keil, a German theologian in the 1800’s says this in his commentary on II Kings-

“Was this the time, when so many hypocrites pretend to be prophets from selfishness and avarice, and bring the prophetic office into contempt with unbelievers, for a servant of the Lord to take money and goods …that he might acquire luxury and goods for himself.

What a rebuke! A rebuke our so-called modern prophets should heed with all their marketing strategies, their endless books, DVD’s, expensive conferences and material. Well did Micah tell of their error! Micah 3:11 “Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price. And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.” It is a stark realization that today’s so-called prophets have many followers, and there is pride in the fact that they claim that the Lord is in their meetings and in their “words”. Micah clearly rebukes them and exposes their error. In like manner, our modern prophetic movement needs rebuking!

The world is in dire times, economic collapses, rising unemployment and homelessness, more and more people are hurting. We live in a world where people need Jesus, the need the true Gospel. Where will they hear it? Will we bring them into a church that is wrought with error and mixture? Where are the true prophets of God? Is this the time to for making money? There are several instances in the Bible where some of the greatest prophets rejected money. Where are they now? These days it’s almost always all about the money. We need to pray for more discernment!! And then use it!

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Boromir and The Ring

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

While I don’t usually use movies to make Christian theological points, in this case, Boromir does seem fitting. I will take comfort in the fact that JRR Tolkien was a Christian.

While Boromir, in the Lord of the Rings, has a time of repentance at the end of his life, he was certainly enamored with the One Ring. He was extremely tempted by it and wanted to use it for good. He tried to persuade the other members of the Fellowship to use the One Ring against the dark lord. How many things of this world are we tempted to use for good?

As I read Luke 4:5-7, the devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all its glory. The devil tells Jesus that it was a domain that had been handed over to him, and that he had the power to give it to whomever he wished. That is an interesting thought because Satan certainly does give it to evil men, and all throughout history you can see his trail of destruction through those evil men to whom he has given it. Yet here he offers it to Jesus, the righteous Son of God. It is offered to Jesus as a temptation. For Jesus, in a twisted way, it was a way for “all things to become subject to Jesus’ feet”! But God’s way was for Him to suffer the cross and wait for “all things to become subject under His feet”. Hebrews 2:8 “Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him”. The mystery of the Gospel slowly unwinds! Oh that we would have the eyes of our understanding opened by Jesus!

Boromir was told by Aragorn, “you cannot wield the Ring, it only answers to the dark lord”. We currently live in a world that answers to satan, “the prince and power of the air”. He gives his power to whom he wishes! It must be so for now. 1 Corinthians 5:249-25 “…then comes the end, when He (Jesus) delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet”.  God still moves in the earth by his divine will and Providence, as it says in Daniel, “He does as He please with all the host of heaven and with man on the earth”. For now He is allowing satan a certain amount of power.

How does that apply to us? We have the same temptation facing us, to use the things of the world for good. If Jesus resisted that, should we not also resist it? There is a theology out there in the Christian world that wants to use the powers of this world to usher in the Kingdom of God. Is that even possible? Is that what God has intended for His church to pursue? We can all think of areas in this modern world that we could use for the good of the Kingdom. We could use politics and make Christian laws. We can use the entertainment and the music industry to have better Christian music and entertainment. We could have Christian businesses. All these things would make us feel good, but they are not the answer.

To quote a dear friend of mine, “It is interesting to note that Jesus did not initiate any socio-economic nor political change. He did not depose Herod, Pilate or Caesar; not even the High Priest. He did not set up social programs nor end slavery while on earth. Yet He declared, the kingdom of God has come upon you”.

Think of it, the Kingdom of God came upon the world! Politics did not matter! It did not matter who was in office! Yet we fight and devour one another over politics. It is important for us to accept the fact that God’s Kingdom is not of this world, John 18:36 tells us so! While there is a lot of good that we can do in the world, it is not dependent on anything of this world, it is dependent on the Holy Spirit. It was by the Holy Spirit that the Apostles changed the whole world! The life changing power of Jesus works in the whole world. It doesn’t matter what type of government you are under. The church grew under the most hostile government system the world had ever seen, the Roman Empire! We need to use what Jesus has made available to us, the Holy Spirit. He is greater than any denomination, greater than any political party and greater than any form of government! It is the kingdom of God. Let us not lose our distinctiveness! There is a uniqueness to Christians who are led by the Spirit, to those whose “kingdom is not of this world”..

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Tracing the Divine Purpose

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on March 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I was recently looking at a Commentary on Acts 2:22-23  “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death”.

The Commentary said the following, “It has now become the habit of the Apostle’s mind to trace the working of a divine purpose, which men, even when they are most bent on thwarting it, are unconsciously fulfilling”.

It is amazing to me how God’s plans are many times not seen while they are happening. Many times, even in our own lives, we can not understand His ways until time has passed and we are able to look back and “trace His divine purpose”. This applies to the world at large, and to our own personal lives.

Think of it, Peter and the disciples never expected the plan of God to be that Jesus would be crucified. It was Peter who famously was rebuked by Jesus for suggesting that He would never be given over and crucified. What changed? With Jesus being crucified, the disciples were devastated and scattered! But then He appeared to them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Jesus ascended into heaven, they started looking back and remembering the things that Jesus taught them. They then began to “trace the divine purpose” with the help of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2, it is now Peter who stands up and addresses the crowd. He now acknowledges that Jesus “was delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death”. Wow! How little of God’s ways we understand.

This is a huge topic, one worthy of understanding in a better way. In another verse, Acts 4:27-28 it says, “In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, they carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen”. Again it was God’s hand in it all.

When we look at world history and events, can we realize that God is in control?  In Revelation 17 we have some similar assertions. Verse 17 says “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled”. At the end of the age, it is God who orchestrates and puts into the hearts of men to execute His purposes. Just like when Jesus was crucified, it was God’s “divine purpose”! The more we search the scriptures and understand this, the better we understand God and His ways.

Again, a disclaimer, I am by no means an expert on all of this and don’t fully understand it all. We should all pray, “open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things out of Thy word”. If we can get a better grip of all this, we will have less turmoil in the body of Christ and in our lives. We will have less fear and worry over things of this world. I encourage you to look back over your own lives, can you trace God’s hand in it? Thank God, He works all things for good to those who love Him.

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Peace In A World Of Chaos

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on March 7, 2025| 2 Comments »

While sitting out one night under the stars, I was again impressed by the beauty of the universe and the order of the heavens which God created. In the Psalm 19 we read, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands”. And in Jeremiah 3 we read, “Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name”.

The stillness of the night, with constellations slowly passing by night after night, is an absolute wonder! The precise order is mind boggling and the peace is healing to the body! I think of Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God”, it is very easy to experience peace when we look at the grandeur and wonder of the heavens, Psalm 19 “the heavens declare the glory of God”. Would that the earth would finally be filled with the Glory of God, soon it will be. Psalm 72 “And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory, amen and amen”.

But for now, we live in a world that is filled with chaos. In our modern era, everywhere we look, there is chaos, destruction and all sorts of evil. There is no order here on earth yet! While we are told in Hebrews 2 that God has put all things in subjection under Jesus’ feet, we are also told that for some reason that we do not yet see it, we do not yet see all things put under Jesus’ feet. We live in a world of chaos while the full plan of God is worked out. The goal of all of this is worth considering. Jesus helps us to understand this when He taught us how to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”. That is the goal of God’s plan in the earth. We are to also pray that way, “Lord let Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”. It will happen one day! God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. In the end, as it says in Isaiah 24, “the city of chaos will be broken”.

Some may ask, “why doesn’t God just come and end all the chaos on earth”? Many people who do not follow Jesus ask that. Romans 9 tells us this- “What if God, willing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?”. Paul tells us that God is patient with the chaos of the world and has a great willingness to show forth the riches of His glory through bringing many people, both Jews and Greeks into the Kingdom of God through repentance. Peter tells us the same thing in Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance”. While God could instantly fix the problem of sin, caused by Adam’s sin and the Watchers, He is choosing not to for a greater good. He is patient and allowing time for people to join His company, “That none should perish!”

While we live in this world with all its chaos, we understand that we are part of a Kingdom that is not of this world. Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world” and that is where our hope lies. We will have peace when we come to Him even in this world. We can have God’s peace as we walk through this very chaotic world that is filled with fear and evil. In John 14:27 Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”. Also in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When the end comes, and God restores peace on the earth, we will all say “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation”. Isaiah 25:9

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Gifts and Calling Irrevocable?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 28, 2025| 3 Comments »

There has always been a path to being near to God. In the OT in 2 Chronicles 15:1-4, God tells us that “the Lord is with us, when we are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. Hebrews 11 tells us that “God is a rewarder of those who seek Him”. Proverbs 8:17 tells us “I love those who love Me, and those who diligently seek Me will find Me”.

To have the Lord with us- means that we must be with the Lord, we must choose His side and His requirements. And we must love Him and obey Him, He says that He loves those that love Him. It says that He will forsake those who forsake Him. What does that mean for us today.

In the case of our current situation with leaders who are falling into sin, or are covering sin, it is my belief that if there is no real repentance, they will fall into the category of Matthew 7:23 when Jesus says to those who have done things for the Lord, “Depart from me I never knew you”. It could be that many of those had valid things happen in the beginning of their ministry but for years have been running on hype and on the power of the soul. (Latent Power of the Soul– Watchman Nee)

We clearly see that in the OT and the NT that God can forsake us at some point if we are not careful. This is where my thoughts on Romans 11:29 come in. “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. This verse is about God’s call on the descendants of the man Israel, and that God will not change His mind on that. He was not talking about the nation of Israel, but as it says in Romans 9:1-8, “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” this means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring”. He was talking about those descendants who come to God thru the faith that is portrayed in the life of the man, Israel. Jews and gentiles, that through Jesus have come to faith in Him. The “spiritual” descendants of the man Israel are the one who will be “as the stars in the heavens and the sand as the sea”, brought in from all the nations. That is God’s plan from the beginning.

God scattered the nation of Israel and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem forty years after they crucified Jesus! A horrible devastation. Not one stone left upon another. 2 Chronicles 15 “If you seek Him, He will be found by you, if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. God forsook the nation of Israel.

All my life I have heard people say that if a preacher falls into sin, he still has his spiritual gifts and power. I do not believe that, I believe that people have a soul power that mimics the Spirit and we cannot discern it. We are enamored with a “celebrity” status type minister, we are sucked in by the music and the hype.

Even Samson in the OT in Judges 16:20 “Did not know that the Lord had left him”. King Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14, it says “Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear”. King David in Psalm 51:11 “Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me”. Should we be surprised at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:23 “Depart from Me I never knew you”? A man’s ministry may have started good, and they depend on those works at the end of the age, but they may have left the path of righteousness as they got older.

It is sin and disobedience that causes God’s Spirit to leave us. In our modern Christianity it is difficult to discern because there is so much “soul” power on display in our meetings. Hebrews 4:11-13 “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do”.

Discerning between what is Spirit and what is soul can only be done through the Word of God. The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. 1 Thessalonians 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”. Our leaders must abstain from every form of evil, if they do not, I believe that something gets projected through their teaching, out of their soul power, into those who follow them. We must abstain from evil! I can not stress this enough, so many ministries are functioning through the power of the soul.

A W Tozer saw it coming years ago when he said “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference”. This what we are facing today!

Please consider all of this, I may not have it all right but I feel there is enough evidence in the scripture to have this conversation.

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The Zealot and the Traitor

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

In this age of political upheaval and divisive politics, the church has lost its uniqueness. The modern church is splintered, and it is difficult to even talk about the unity of the brethren. What we see in the church today is a mirror of what we see in the country. Our politics have bled into all areas of church life. The church divides over all sorts of issues including not only politics, but also over different ministries and beliefs.

There is a vast number of teachers, prophets, apostles and evangelists online that you can follow.  I once saw a sign in front of a church that said “We have three kinds of worship- contemporary, traditional and blended. One Just right for you!”. There you have it! You can pick and choose who to follow online, there is “one just right for you”. What a twisted thing we have made the church.

When we look in the scriptures at the ‘last supper’, we see men who were radically changed by Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about it, you have Simon the Zealot and Matthew the traitor sitting at table with Jesus. Can you wrap your head around that?

The Zealots were a political movement in 1st-century Second Temple Judaism that sought to incite the people of Judea Providence to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy Land by force of arms, most notably during the First Jewish-Roman war(66–70).

The Tax Collector in the Roman world was an official that was often greedy, and usually took the position from love of money. They would frequently extort unjust dues, especially from the poor. Such tax-collectors were infamous among the Jews. As Cornelius a Lapide points out, the Jews “maintained that they, as a people dedicated to God, ought not to pay tribute to the Romans, who were Gentiles and idolaters: for this was contrary to the liberty and dignity of the children of God.” To associate with tax-collectors and sinners was considered sinful behavior for Jews. Tradition stated: “Let not a man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him to the Torah” (Mechilta).

The natural tension between Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector would be obvious! Matthew would have been considered a traitor and Simon would despise him. What happened to them that they were now sitting at table together in fellowship? Jesus happened!! Jesus and the Holy Spirit had a profound effect on them and changed them forever.

Jesus is the great leveler! The things of this world do grow strangely dim when we experience His love and forgiveness. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we become part of the ‘Kingdom of God’! This world loses its glitter! We have a greater inheritance, and Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Let us live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, preferring one another in love. And may God grant us a unity that is based on His love for us. We are to be unique in the world, not like the world! We are to be holy, that is- set apart, different, showing forth His attributes.

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Maturing and Discerning

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 24, 2025| 1 Comment »

There have been a few questions about changes in theology over the last 20 years. Since I am now an older man, I have seen and experienced quite a bit of change over the years in my own beliefs, as you all are now experiencing. Let me first say, this is normal. As you all mature, have families and deal with issues, you change. “Your senses are being trained to discern good and evil Heb 5:14”. In my early days of coming out of the Jesus Revolution, we young people had an attitude toward older people. I did see these same things coming out of BRSM and FIRE. In our youthful zeal, we had the attitude God was anointing us as a new generation, WE had the anointing. I co-pastored a church in 1977 that was a charismatic church, I was 27 at the time. The average age of our congregation was 17 years old. It took me about three years to realize that I needed to sit under some older men that I knew, so I left the ministry to attend another church. Over the years I began having the realization that there were many men of God who were not charismatic and but had a powerful anointing. I was reading books by Leonard Ravenhill, Watchman Nee, AW Tozer and others. I stayed away from the current charismatic books that focused on the gifts of the Spirit, tongues, prophecy and other sorts of charismatic teachings. It did strike me, that after going to a Billy Graham rally, that this man had an anointing from God and was not charismatic. Charismatics would criticize AW Tozer because he didn’t have the Spirit. They would say, “Just think how powerful he would be if he had the Spirit”, Leonard Ravenhill called those people out saying, “Show me one charismatic preacher who could write a book like Tozer”. If you read Tozer’s books, he believed in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I you read DL Moody’s book Secret Power, it is all about him receiving the Spirit, just not in the charismatic way. We must realize that all through history there were great men and great movements that were led by people who were not filled with the Holy Spirit in the same way that charismatic circles teach. People like Jonathan Edwards, Andrew Murray, DL Moody, William Booth, George Fox, Augustine, George Whitefield and the Wesleys all had a level of the Holy Spirit that gave them power for ministry. John Dowie had a huge healing ministry in the late 1800’s, long before the Azuza Street revival, and he did not embrace it. We need to ask the question; how did these men get power with God? Secret power comes from secret prayer. So rethinking your theology is a good thing, we need to mature as we learn to discern.

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