The Veil Remains

Monday, March 07, 2011, 10:00 p.m. – I was in the process of getting ready to go to bed for the night when this song from 1993 (a secular song) popped into my head. I don’t listen to secular music anymore, so I’m sure it has been years since I last heard this song.

River of Dreams / Billy Joel

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred i lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross…

Full lyrics: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/river-of-dreams-lyrics-billy-joel/d2d17626a86f10b348256cbc0005d0d0

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6:

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

My Understanding: Billy Joel, born to Jewish parents but not raised Jewish religiously, wrote the words to this song. Even though Joel was not a religious Jew, there appears to be reference in the song, I believe, to the Old Testament in the Bible. The “mountains of faith” followed by “the river so deep” appear to be references to Moses on Mt Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. It was in the third month after the Israelites left Egypt that they arrived in the desert of Sinai. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience to God and then God brought a remnant of the Israelites into the Promised Land. God parted the waters of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross over it on dry ground into the Promised Land.

It appears to me here that Joel, in making reference to Moses on Mt Sinai, to the River Jordan and to the time in the wilderness in between, is referencing the faith that it took for the Israelites to believe God to lead them across this river on dry ground into the Promised Land. The Promised Land, in the New Testament, is a reference to our eternity with God in heaven. It seems to me, by the context of this song, that Joel had that in mind, because further on down in the song he stated that he was not sure about life after this life, and he acknowledged that God knew he was not a spiritual man. Yet, he had been baptized; he said “by fire,” and said it was in the river that runs through the Promised Land.

In the song, Joel is looking; he is searching for something and it is connected with faith and with God and his Jewish heritage. He has to cross the river to find it, “but the river is wide and it’s too hard to cross.” He said he tried to cross to the other side, so that he could find what he’d been looking for. He went through a “valley of fear,” through the “jungle of doubt,” and through the “desert of truth” in his search for what was missing from his life and what he felt had been taken out of his soul. He said he hoped it would not take the rest of his life until he found what he’d been looking for. He felt, though, that he could not define what it was for which he was searching so diligently. It seemed to elude him. Thus, he appears to be making reference to his own wilderness journey in which he was not able to reach the other side of the river due to his own lack of faith in God’s promises.

He concluded the song with words that sound hopeless, to me, as he stated that we all end in the ocean. I read somewhere that Billy Joel later declared that he was an atheist and that he did not believe in any god. So, in his attempts to find what was missing out of his life, he never found what he was looking for. It all ended in nothingness. He tried to cross over to that other side, yet it appears he was trying to do it in his own strength. He tried to overcome his fears and doubts and lack (desert) of truth (knowledge and understanding), because crossing to the other side, he knew, meant stepping out in faith and following God with his life, like the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant across the river. And, his final conclusion was that he was not sure there was life everlasting. There also appeared to be personal recognition that he lacked the faith to trust God with his life by trusting him to part the waters and to make the way possible for Billy to get to the other side. So, he made the decision not to believe in any god. Many people are right where Billy Joel is today.

In this passage in 2 Corinthians, it speaks of Moses at Mt Sinai who put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from seeing the radiance of God’s glory fading from his face after he had been with God face-to-face. Yet, the reference appears to be about another kind of veil that covers people’s hearts – the veil of unbelief. And, that veil of unbelief has continued to this day. For the Jewish nation as a whole, they have refused to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Lord and Savior, so that is why their minds are still veiled. They are still trying to reach God through the Old Covenant regulations, and they never will, because they don’t understand that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the promise, and that the Old Covenant was temporary until Jesus Christ could be revealed. So, they are stuck in time with no way to cross that river until they decide to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ who is the only one who can lift that veil of unbelief from their hearts. He will do so whenever anyone turns to the Lord Jesus in repentance, faith and obedience (surrender).

Billy Joel is trapped on the side of the river that only offers him doubts, fears, lack of faith and trust in God/Jesus, searching but never finding what he was looking for, empty, ready to give up searching, confused, unsure about his future life, and finally his search ending in futility and emptiness and total lack of belief in anything. The gospel is veiled to him, i.e. his heart is covered through unbelief so that he cannot see the truth of the gospel, and it is Satan (the god of this age) who has blinded him so that he cannot see the truth. He is not free. The veil of unbelief still covers his heart and he is still trapped on the opposite side of the river from the promise of eternity with God through faith in Jesus Christ. The only path to freedom is to step out in faith, to put his feet in that water, to trust God/Jesus to part the waters of doubt, and to follow God/Jesus wherever he leads him.

Many people on this earth are right with Joel on that opposite side of the river from God. They are blinded to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and their only path to freedom is to step out in faith and to trust Jesus. In stepping out in faith and believing in Jesus Christ and trusting him to part the waters of doubt in our hearts, we receive the Spirit of God within us, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom – freedom from the penalty of sin and freedom from the control and bondage to sin in our daily lives, as well as freedom to serve God and to walk daily in obedience and surrender to him and to his will for our lives. Oh, what freedom that is! I’ve been on that other side. I don’t want to ever go back!!

When we yield control of our lives over to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit within us through our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and through our willingness to step out in faith and to follow our Lord Jesus to the other side of the river, the veils of unbelief are not only removed from our hearts, but in their place is now the glory of God within each believer in Jesus Christ. As we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus, we are then able to reflect the Lord’s glory, which is ever-increasing as we continually yield control over to Jesus and we let go of the reigns of control over our own lives. Our faces; our character; our lives will reflect whatever controls us and whatever fills our lives and minds and whatever is our “god” or is most important in our lives. So, Christ’s glory can only be reflected in our faces, characters and lives as we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit, and not from us.

The way in which this “ever-increasing glory” is able to operate and to be reflected in our hearts and lives is through us renouncing secret and shameful ways (repentance), refusing to use deception, and by us not distorting the word of God to suit our own purposes so that we excuse away sin and rebellion against God. To the contrary, we must set forth the truth plainly - through our words, our characters, our lives and through our witness for Jesus Christ. We must not operate in the flesh either in our characters or through our words (witness; preaching of the gospel), but we must humble ourselves and become as servants to the Lord Jesus and to the people to whom he would have us serve in the sharing of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be examples of lives committed to and surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ and free from bondage to sin so that we can reflect the Lord’s glory and so that his light can shine in our hearts and through our lives.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer / Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

We Stand Firm

Monday, March 07, 2011, 6:50 a.m. – When I awoke this morning, this song was playing in my mind:

The Solid Rock / Edward Mote / William Bradbury

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 2 Corinthians 1:12-24:

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

15 Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?

18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

My Understanding: When we truly take our stand upon the solid Rock, Jesus Christ, these following statements should be true about our lives:

We conduct ourselves in holiness and sincerity from God

When we conduct our lives according to God’s holiness, it means we live lives that are consecrated (set apart) to God – sanctified, righteous, godly, pure, dedicated and faithful in our obedience and service to Him. As well, we conduct ourselves in sincerity, which means we live our lives in full genuineness, honesty, seriousness, earnestness, and authenticity (in truth) in our devotion to God. Yet, we do not do this in our own flesh. Both the holiness and the sincerity of our hearts come from God who dwells within the lives of true believers in Jesus Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s Holy Spirit, thus, working in us and through us to accomplish his purposes in and through our lives who fills us with all holiness and sincerity that are from God, and not from our flesh nature, as we continually put off the flesh and are yielded to God and to his will for our lives. The song says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” I “wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” And, that should be true of each one of our lives - that we conduct our lives in such a manner that it is apparent that our hope, our holiness and our sincerity come from God and through what Jesus did for us in dying on the cross for our sins and being raised triumphantly from the grave in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin – the penalty of and control of over our lives.

Not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace

The song says, “When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace.” When the storms of our lives often hide God’s face from us to where we don’t sense his presence, we don’t see him working, and/or we don’t feel him involved in our lives, we should not rely upon worldly wisdom that says God is not there, that he is not involved, that he doesn’t care, and/or that we need to take matters into our own hands and to try and solve our own problems through worldly means and wisdom, which is not wise at all. Instead, our anchor, Jesus Christ, who provides us with stability, hope and security, is who we are to hold on to even in those dark times when life just doesn’t make sense to us. We must rest in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and he never changes. He is there, he is involved in our lives, and he cares very much about us even when the darkness hides his character from us because we have our eyes on the winds and the waves and have taken our eyes off of Jesus. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Not making plans lightly or in a worldly manner

Our plans are our system or method of doing, achieving or accomplishing something we have set out to do, i.e. that we intend to do and/or have arranged to do. When we make plans that we sense are from God, we should not make them lightly, i.e. we should not vacillate back and forth, changing our minds and/or opinions, swaying back and forth from one side to the other saying “yes” and then “no” and then “yes.” This is not to say that we cannot go through this process in deciding what the plan should be, but that if we say we are going to do something, we should do it, unless we have spoken without forethought as to all the implications of that decision. The point of this, I believe, is that we should not make plans without thinking them all the way through and praying them through to make certain they are of God so that we are not ones who sway back and forth on opinion and thus give the impression that we are unsure of even what our plans should be. The song says, “His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood.” Unlike our human plans which sometimes lack true wisdom, direction, forethought, etc., God’s plans for us are never changing. We can always depend upon them for everything in life.

Our message is consistent; unambiguous (certain, definite, unmistakable, explicit)

The song says, “When he shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found; dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” So much more importantly than whether or not we make our plans lightly or according to worldly methods is whether or not our message (our faith) carries this same theme of wishy-washiness to where people are not sure on what we hope or on what we stand. We should not vacillate back and forth, changing our minds and/or opinions, swaying back and forth from one side to the other saying “yes” and then “no” and then “yes” when it comes to believing in or in sharing the gospel message. Otherwise, people will not take us seriously if we are not confident in what we believe and upon which we rest our hope and security. This scripture says that “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” He is not going to promise us eternal life and then snatch it away from us saying, “Just kidding!” Yet, we must be sure of our hope and what we believe as evidenced by our lives. Then, if we are truly in Christ Jesus, we have set our hope in him, and we are trusting in Him as our Lord and Savior, we have the assurance of the guarantee of eternal life in heaven with God. That promise has been sealed by the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. We can depend upon God’s oaths, his covenant with his people and the security that promise of God gives us when all of life around us seems to be falling apart and/or appears to be going straight to hell.

We stand firm in Christ, by faith

The passage of scripture said, “It is by faith you stand firm.” The word “faith” is one of the most misunderstood words ever. Many people see faith as merely an intellectual assent to something, as a religious practice or ritual, or as a casual acknowledgement of something to which they hold some sense of loyalty or devotion. Yet, Biblically speaking, faith encompasses so much more. If we study the New Testament scriptures thoroughly we will see that faith encompasses (includes) both repentance and obedience to God and that even the faith to believe is a gift from God, not of our own works, lest anyone should boast. The Lord gave me an illustration of the meaning of faith the other day in relation to a stop sign. A stop sign means “Stop! Yield the right-of-way. Then, go in safety.” When we believe in Jesus Christ we stop living according to the flesh and the desires of the flesh, i.e. we stop living a sinful lifestyle, we yield the right-of-way to God/Jesus in our lives by making him Lord in place of the control of sin that once enslaved us, and then we go forward in full faith and obedience in the strength, power and might of the Holy Spirit of God living in and through us for his purposes and for his glory. This is the true meaning of faith.

The song says, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” If we are putting our faith, trust and/or hope in anyone or anything besides Jesus Christ, when the storms of life come and the darkness hides God’s character from our eyes, we will sink because we have misplaced faith. Included in this is if we have faith that we have eternal life merely because we prayed a prayer at an altar yet we didn’t believe that it was necessary that it be accompanied by true repentance and obedience to Almighty God. Or, it could be that we are placing our faith in man, a job, our education, our physical abilities or our talents to get us by or to gain approval from God, but those things are all destined to perish and God is not impressed by our intelligence, talents, education level, etc.

What he desires is our obedience, our heart surrender and commitment to him at all levels, and a heart that says “Yes” to Jesus and that never says “No” ever again. If we are truly to take our stand (position; belief; stay; endurance; hold; continuance) on the solid Rock, Jesus Christ, then we must live holy and godly lives that are yielded to God and to his purposes; dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And, we must walk in the Spirit of God in full obedience and surrender of our wills to the will of the Father. May we, today, examine our hearts before Almighty God and Jesus Christ to see whether or not we are truly in Christ Jesus, so that when the darkness comes, we will be able to stand firm.

The Way of Love

Friday, March 04, 2011, 7:20 a.m. – When I awoke this morning, the song, “Because of Who You Are” was playing in my mind again. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read I Corinthians 14:1-25 for my quiet time with the Lord this morning.

Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues
1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. 3 But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

6 Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21 In the Law it is written:

“Through men of strange tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,”
says the Lord.

22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

My Understanding: This passage begins by saying, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” The first thing mentioned here is that we need to “follow the way of love.” I Corinthians 13 teaches us that if we speak in tongues or we prophesy, et al, but we don’t have love that we are nothing; we are like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal, i.e. it is just a bunch of noise. Then, it says that love is patient, kind, not self-seeking, and does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, etc. So, for us to exercise the gifts God has given to us, the prerequisite is that we follow the way of love laid out for us in this passage in I Corinthians 13 and in the rest of the Bible.

Then, the passage says that we should eagerly desire spiritual gifts. To desire something is to want, yearn, and long for it, to make it a personal ambition, goal and/or objective, to hope for it, and/or to request or to ask for it. We learned in I Co. 12 that “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” So, even though we are to desire spiritual gifts, it is the Holy Spirit of God who gives the gifts to each one of us just as he determines. We cannot determine which gifts we will ultimately receive, yet we are encouraged to desire them, especially the gift of prophecy.

From this passage in I Corinthians 14, I saw these specific characteristics of the spiritual gift of prophecy in the New Testament. The person with the gift of prophecy:

• Speaks to men (and women) for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort
• Edifies (informs; educates; instructs; and/or improves spiritually) the church
• Gives a clear and distinctive call to get people ready for spiritual warfare
• Builds up (inspires; gives hope; nurtures; cultivates; and develops) the church
• Speaks to believers in Jesus Christ
• Convinces of sin

Gift of Prophecy: “A person with this gift, like its Old Testament counterpart, has a keen awareness of current events and the cultural implications of not following God’s word. This is important because each church is made up of people, customs, and circumstances that are different from others. Prophecy helps us apply the scriptures to where we live. A person with this gift has a burden to warn of God’s judgment and the need for us to repent... This gift helps the church live holy in the culture and time that they are appointed. It rebukes, strengthens and encourages believers. The gift also helps the church in long-term planning and seeking God for His guidance.” http://spiritualgifts.wordpress.com/2007/06/27/65/

This passage in I Corinthians 14 also contrasted the spiritual gift of prophecy with the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. The person with the gift of tongues:

• Speaks to God, not to men
• Mutters mysteries with his spirit
• Edifies the tongues’ speaker
• Has a lesser spiritual gift
• Needs an interpretation of the tongues so that the church can be edified
• Is a sign for unbelievers

Paul’s reasoning for making this comparison appears to be that a problem had arisen in the Corinthian church where the gift of tongues was being elevated above the other gifts, and where it was being misused within the church meetings. So, Paul gave these instructions on the gifts, in particular these two gifts, so that the church would understand the appropriate order of the gifts and the proper usage of them.

It appears, as well, that the purpose of the gift of tongues was two-fold: 1) As a sign for unbelievers, such as we have recorded for us in the book of Acts on the Day of Pentecost where the people all heard the gospel in their own languages. So, it was for the spreading of the gospel and for the salvation of people of many languages, and 2) As a private prayer language between the individual and God.

It had use in gatherings of the church only if it was followed by interpretation and it served to edify and to strengthen the church. I Corinthians 14:26-28 said:

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.

So, tongues should not be used in the public gathering of the church unless it is followed by interpretation and it is for the strengthening of the church. In addition to that, if anyone speaks in a tongue with interpretation, there should be a limit on the number of people speaking and they should speak one at a time. There are many church congregations today where this is not followed and where tongues are spoken without interpretation, where they are spoken by the masses in the congregation, and where they are spoken all at once. Also, tongues is elevated in many of these congregations above all the other gifts and is given a place of honor as the evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. This goes against, not only this passage here in I Co. 14, but other teachings on the gift of tongues throughout scripture where it is taught as a lesser gift and where it is taught that we do not all have the same gifts. So, if God has given you this gift, please make certain that you are exercising it according to the teachings of scripture.

Paul was not against this gift, nonetheless. In fact, he had this gift and he wished everyone could speak in tongues (the implication that not all did), but he would rather that they prophesy so that the church may be edified. One who edifies informs; educates; instructs; and/or improves spiritually his or her listeners. And, Paul said that the gift of prophecy is a gift that edifies the church. One of the reasons for this was that it gives a clear call for battle, i.e. it prepares us for spiritual warfare against the enemy of our souls and it prepares us to live out the Christian life as God intended us to live it in full surrender and obedience to him. Paul went on to state that if someone who does not understand or if an unbeliever comes into our meetings and hears people speaking in tongues they might think that we are out of our minds. Yet, if they come into our meetings and someone is prophesying, the listener will be convinced by all that he is sinner, the secrets of his heart will be laid bare before God, and he will fall down and worship God. That does not mean that all will respond in this way, as we know not all do, but rather that the gift of prophecy is one that presents the sinner with his sin, that calls him to repentance, and that encourages him toward full surrender of his life to Jesus Christ in all humility and obedience to God’s commands.

Because of Who You Are / Artist: Sandi Patti

Oh Lord I stand amazed at the wonder of your deeds
and yet a greater wonder brings me to my knees
Lord I praise you, Because of who you are
Not just for all the mighty things that you have done
Lord I worship you, because of who you are
You're all the reason that I need to voice my praise
Because of who you are

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=11MCFNNU

The Life I Owe

Saturday, March 05, 2011, 8:29 a.m. – I woke this morning with this song playing in my mind:

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go / George Matheson / Albert L. Peace

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Speak, Lord, for servant is listening. I read I Corinthians 15 (select verses):

The Resurrection of Christ
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born…

The Resurrection of the Dead
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

My Understanding: As I read through this passage of scripture, I could not help but notice the parallels between the words to this song and the words in this passage of scripture. The gospel is presented clearly in this way –

Which you have received

In the second stanza of this song it says, “O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee.” I noticed that the word “Joy” was capitalized, so this was not speaking merely of the word joy, as in “happy,” but this was speaking of the person of Jesus Christ, who is our joy, hope and crown. He is the one who seeks us. The Bible tells us in I John 4:10: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” We are able to come to Jesus Christ and to receive him as Lord and Savior because he first loved us and he sought us. He seeks us “through pain” – Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The pain of sin is what separates us from God, so Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could go free from the penalty and control of sin over our lives. So, when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by repenting of our sin and by making him our Lord, no longer sin controlling our lives, Jesus gives us the victory over the sting of death, which is sin. As a heart response, thus, to what he did for us in dying for our sins so that we can go free, we cannot close our hearts to Him.

Upon which you have taken your stand

The song begins, “O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe.” The Love that will not let us go is Jesus Christ. He is love and he loves us, and because he loves us so much he will keep after us, he will comfort us, and he will encourage us, etc. Because of the assurance of his love and his saving grace, we can rest our weary souls in Him. I find that very reassuring, as often this body of mine has times of weariness, and so does my soul. We all have those times in our lives when we are just plain tired, discouraged, or sad. Whatever we are going through, as believers in Jesus Christ, as long as we are walking in fellowship with Jesus and are not living to gratify the desires of the flesh, we can rest our souls in him. I find great comfort in that.

Then, the song says, “I give Thee back the life I owe.” We owe Jesus everything because of what he did for us. Taking a stand for Jesus is not just taking a doctrinal position, but it means to give him everything about our lives – our time, resources, thoughts, actions, words, the things that we do, read, watch, our relationships, etc. It means to be crucified with Christ so that we no longer live but Christ lives within us and the life we now live, we live by faith instead of by the flesh or self-will (See Gal. 2:20). Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices unto God and that we should not be conformed to the pattern of the world, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. So, to take a stand for Jesus Christ means to place our absolute trust in him and to give him our entire being, holding nothing back.

By which you were saved IF you hold firmly to the word

The song says, “O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee.” When we read through scripture and we study God’s word, we will find this word “IF” coming up from time to time in relation to the subject of our salvation. So many people see salvation as wrapped up in a prayer they prayed at an altar that guarantees them their eternal inheritance, and yet they don’t see salvation as a continuous process in their lives, day by day, where they continually reckon themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Yet, I cannot get away from this idea that to truly have salvation means that we hold firmly to the word of God to the end, established and firm, not moved, and that we continue and remain in our faith, etc. [See Rom. 11:17-24; Col. 1:21-23; Heb. 3:14-15; II Pet. 1:5-11; and I John 2:24-25]. The Bible is clear that we are saved, we are being saved and we will be saved when Jesus returns. It is a continuous, on-going process of faith, of remaining in Christ, and of standing firm in our faith; not moved from the gospel, etc.

Christ died for your sins

Christ died for our sins so that we could go free from the penalty and the control of sin over our lives. The song said, “I lay in dust life’s glory dead.” Glory means “fame, admiration and honor that is given to somebody; praise; beauty; success; stardom,” etc. (Encarta). To lay something in dust and to lay it there as something that is dead means that you have buried it. So, this is talking about us being crucified with Christ so that we no longer live and this is speaking about us putting to death all the praise or success or fame that this world has to offer us. Jesus left the glory of heaven to come down to earth and to take upon himself the flesh of man (yet without sin) and then to die on a cross and take upon himself all the sins of the world so that we don’t have to sin any longer. So, when we come to Jesus Christ and we believe in him as Lord and Savior, it means that we, too, lay our lives down and we consider our own human glory as dead so that we can live for the praise of God’s glory, and we do not take our own glory up again.

Christ rose from the dead

Jesus Christ did not remain in the grave. He rose again, so that we have a living Lord, our Savior, our Messiah, and our Intercessor. He rose again so that he could conquer hell, Satan, death and sin so that we could go free. He then sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of believers in Jesus – God within us – and so that we could be raised to newness of life in Jesus Christ, no longer living to please the flesh, and to have eternal life. The song concluded with, “Life that shall endless be.” This is speaking of eternal life with Jesus because we have accepted the cross of Christ into our lives, we have laid in the dust our own life’s glory (praise of man), we have given our Lord everything about our lives, we have not withheld our hearts from him, we have not sought to flee from the cross in our lives, and we have continued in our faith, holding firmly, and we have remained in Christ. Not one of us is going to do this perfectly and we are not going to be able to do it from our own flesh. It is Christ working in us and through us to accomplish his own purposes in our lives that gives us what we need to live godly lives. We just need to surrender to Jesus, and we need to yield control of our lives to Jesus instead of trying to run them ourselves.

Oh No!

Thursday, March 03, 2011, 5:16 a.m. – When I awoke this morning, this song was playing in my mind, and in particular this one stanza is what stood out to me:

Because of Who You Are / Artist: Sandi Patti

One holy night you brought the promise from a virgin
And promise grew as he revealed to us your heart
Enduring love displayed throughout his Crucifixion
And in the dark, you tore the grave and death apart

The Lord also gave me an allegory (like a sermon illustration or a parable – to be taken symbolically) this morning to illustrate a practical application that he wanted me to receive and to share from the passage of scripture I read during my quiet time with him this morning from I Corinthians 13, which is often termed the “Love chapter” of the Bible.

The Allegory: I was standing outside. I saw two people riding down the street on bicycles, one in front of the other. Both of them were getting ready to go under a bridge overhead. They were on the other side of the bridge from me. The first person, who was on a normal size bicycle, went under the bridge.

The second person was riding on a bicycle that was very high up. I watched as this person started to ride underneath the bridge. His or her head was too high up and did not make it under the bridge, because the head of this person smacked right up against the side of the bridge. The impact of the head against the bridge knocked him or her off of the bicycle.

I ran over to the other side of the bridge to check on the individual. The person was hanging off the side of the bridge and his or her body was arched. I said, “Oh no! Are you dead? Are you alive?” He or she was just hanging there. The person showed no signs of life. So, I called 911. End

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read I Corinthians 12:31b-13:1-13:

Love
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

My Understanding: In this allegory, I believe I am the personification of divine love; the bridge is the cross on which Jesus Christ died for our sins; and underneath the bridge is hell, death and sin. I am on the opposite side of the bridge as the two people riding on the bicycles and they are headed my direction. The first person to go under the bridge was Jesus Christ, i.e. he took upon himself our flesh (the bicycle), our sin, and the cross. He humbled himself by going underneath the weight of the cross, and he became obedient to death on a cross so that we might live. By going underneath and going from one side to the other, he rose from that death victorious and thus conquered death, hell and sin.

The second person to try to go under the bridge represents mankind (the flesh of man). In this case the individual represents those who have not humbled themselves under the cross of Christ via their deaths to sin so that they can be resurrected to new life in Jesus Christ. They are riding high off of the pleasures of this world. Their heads are too high up because they are filled with pride and human knowledge and understanding; and with man’s thinking and reasoning and evaluating of life and the things of this life, and they have reached their own conclusions apart from God and apart from his love. So, when these individuals try to follow Jesus Christ under the cross (the bridge), they bang their heads against the cross because they have not humbled themselves to become obedient to death to sin by way of the cross of Jesus Christ. They will always clash with the cross of Christ because they are living for their own pleasures and they are living by their own intellect and reasoning.

So, divine love reaches across to them and asks them the question, “Are you dead or are you alive?” The question is not for the benefit of the one asking the question but is rather for the benefit of the one just hanging there listless and lifeless, spiritually speaking, as he or she showed no evidence - no signs of life (life in Christ Jesus). The question is intended to wake the person up from his spiritual slumber and to make him have to evaluate and examine his own heart and mind to see if he is truly in Jesus Christ or not. Many people think they are because they have intellectual acceptance or knowledge of Jesus Christ, but they never humbled themselves and became obedient to death to sin and to take upon themselves the cross of Jesus Christ so that they could live in freedom from death, hell and sin; from judgment of God; and from the bondage to and the control of sin over their lives.

In this passage in I Corinthians, it, too, is asking the question, “Are you dead or are you alive?” If you are dead spiritually speaking and yet you think you are following Jesus, you will run up against his cross and knock your head (pride and intellect) against it just like this passage of scripture describes when it says that those who lack love are only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I saw this head banging up against the cross (the bridge) as a clanging cymbal. It makes a lot of noise, but it doesn’t produce anything useful. It is lifeless and listless from a spiritual perspective because it is puffed up with human knowledge and pride and is trying to gain access to heaven via good works, running its own life, and thinking it has attained great heights spiritually and/or intellectually. But, it will always bang into the side of the cross and will be in spiritual limbo like this person just hanging there but never humbling himself enough to come under the cross and then to have life everlasting.

So, it is possible to think you are headed to heaven (or your idea of heaven or eternal bliss) because of your knowledge or understanding of God, or because of your own superior intellect or reasoning, or because you are flying high off of your own flesh and the pleasures this world has to offer and you think that is life, but it is not life, it is death, but not death to sin, death to God and death to life everlasting with God. You may even preach great sermons, or do great things among men, or make great sacrifices, but still you will hit your head (knowledge and pride) up against the side of the cross (the bridge between man and God) and you will just make loud noises, but you will never reach the other side, and true love stands on the other side of the cross. True love does not operate in the flesh of man, but it operates in the power and authority of the Spirit of God within lives that are obedient to the cross, who have humbled themselves underneath the cross of Christ, and have been able to pass from death to life because Jesus went before us and prepared the way so that we, too, could have life everlasting and be free from sin and death (spiritual death).

True love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. True love (agape love) never fails. All the gifts of the Spirit of God and all knowledge will disappear one day, but love will always remain along with faith and hope, because these three things are what are eternal.

True love – the type that is kind, not self-seeking, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth – is the kind that will reach across that bridge to those on the other side and will ask the hard questions – “Are you dead or are you alive?” True love will grieve and mourn (Oh no!) over the sin, the selfishness, and the pride of those who are self-seeking and who are living for their own pleasures and will care enough to try to help the sinner come to the place of realizing his spiritual condition so that he can humble himself under that cross and pass from death to life in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ did that for us. He left heaven and took upon himself the flesh of man and ultimately he took upon himself all of our sins and died a painful death on the cross so that we could go free. He is true love! And, if we are truly followers of Jesus, his love dwells within us so that we can love others as he loved us.

The writer of I Corinthians said that when he was a child he talked like a child, he thought like a child, and he reasoned like a child. I believe this picture of this person, riding high on life (human life) with his head so high that he banged his head against the cross of Christ and the impact sounded like a gong or a clanging cymbal, is a picture of this kind of childish (immature) thinking and reasoning that does not take God into account nor does it humble itself and submit itself to the cross of Christ. It is puffed up with human knowledge. The writer said, instead of him being like a child in his thinking and reasoning, that when he became a man (maturity through faith in Christ) he put all those childish ways behind him. He now saw himself as God saw him, and by passing from death to life underneath the cross, he now had the life of Jesus Christ (perfection) living and dwelling within him, which was why he was able to stop behaving like a child and he could leave those childish ways behind him.

This passage in I Corinthians speaks of imperfection. As long as live in these fleshly bodies we will be imperfect people. Only when Jesus takes us home to be with him and he gives us glorified bodies will we know perfection in its fullness, for he is perfection. Right now we see but a poor reflection in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Right now we see Jesus - his works, his love, his compassion, and even his justice, yet we are limited in our knowledge and in our understanding by these human bodies, yet one day that will all change when we see Jesus face to face. We only know him in part right now, but when we see him one day face to face, we will know fully, even as we are fully known by Him. Yet, our knowledge must come from the one who created the universe and who made us, for he knows all things and he created each one of us for a purpose. And, we need to submit ourselves to his divine purpose for our lives if we are to truly live.

So, the question remains, “Are you dead or are you alive?” If you are spiritually dead, will you today humble yourself and become obedient to the cross of Christ Jesus by dying to your own self-will, self-gratification, self-importance, and self-pleasure so that you can live? And, will you place your trust and faith in him and in what he did for you in dying on the cross for your sins so that you could go free? Will you allow His Spirit reign, authority and rule over your heart and life so that you no longer are the one calling the shots? I guarantee you that you have never truly known what it means to live life until you have surrendered to the cross of Jesus Christ and have first of all died to yourself so that you can be raised to new life in Jesus Christ and to then walk in the Spirit of God, living to please God and not yourself any longer. This is living!! And, it brings with it the greatest joy and peace you will ever know!

Because of Who You Are - http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=11MCFNNU

Thirsty Ground

Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 10:20 p.m. – My husband and I had just finished having our time of devotions together for the evening. We had read a chapter from Jim Cymbala’s book, Fresh Power, What Happens When God Leads and You Follow. We read chapter three about God sending his Holy Spirit upon His people in revival and about the Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts when God poured out his Holy Spirit in great power and in a great demonstration of that power. Then Rick and I had our time together in prayer when we prayed for God to pour out His Holy Spirit on our family and on the church here in America.

We read Ezra chapter nine last night, and we were getting ready to read chapter ten tonight. Rick then told me how the Lord had led him, this morning, to read again Ezra’s prayer of confession of sin for his people, from chapter nine, and how the Lord had moved him (Rick) in his spirit to see how God sees the church here in America today. Then, we read Ezra chapter ten where the people of Israel joined Ezra in confessing their sins and in weeping bitterly over them, confessing, “We have been unfaithful to our God.” Then, the Lord had the people and their leaders make the sins right by correcting the wrongs done.

After we finished our time of devotions together, we went to bed. I continued praying for me and my husband, for our family, and for the church here in America, and for God to pour out His Spirit upon us in revival. Then, I had a vision in my mind of an enormous amount of water being poured out from a pitcher. The water was poured from the east to the west. And, I heard in my mind, “Pour out your water on thirsty ground.” I got up to look up those words, because they rung familiar in my mind, as though they were from a passage of scripture. I found very similar words in this passage in Isaiah 44:2b-3:

Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Grant your servant, I pray, the understanding you want her to have this evening on this subject of you pouring out your Holy Spirit on thirsty ground. In Jesus’ name I pray these things. Amen! I read I Corinthians 10:1-13:

Warnings From Israel’s History
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

My Understanding: I first of all wanted to understand the meaning of “thirsty” and of “ground,” so I did a word search on both of these words. The word “thirsty” rendered:

John 4:10,14 :

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” … Jesus answered, “…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

If ground is thirsty, that means it is dry and is lacking water. It may even be hard, cracked and useless for producing fruit and vegetation. Many hearts are like this. They lack the living water that will never leave them thirsty. Their hearts are hardened just like ground that is lacking water, and they need this spring of living water welling up to eternal life so that they can produce the fruit of the Spirit of God in their lives. So, when God gave me that prayer to pray, “Pour out your water on thirsty ground,” he was asking me, in essence, to pray for him to pour out his Holy Spirit, i.e. this living water that wells up into eternal life, on people’s lives which are hardened, dry spiritually, and in great need of the power of God in their lives if they are ever to bear fruit useful for God’s kingdom.

In 1 Corinthians 10, we learn of the sins of the children of God who drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. So, the Lord is speaking, not to non-believers, but to those who have drunk from the spiritual rock, Jesus Christ, and yet their spiritual ground is now dry, hard, and is lacking that spring of living water welling up inside of them to eternal life. And, this is because they have set their hearts on evil things – idolatry, pagan revelry (carousing, drunkenness) sexual immorality, testing the Lord their God, as well as being grumblers. A pagan is “a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome); one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods: an irreligious or hedonistic person” - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan. So, they were following the ways of the pagans.

And, this intermingling with pagans, and with their practices, is what God often chided his children about, what Ezra was pouring out his heart to God concerning, and what the people eventually repented of in Ezra 9-10, too. The sin of the people of Israel in Ezra’s time was that they had intermarried with the pagans and had intermingled with their detestable practices. Worse than this, though, was the fact that the leaders and officials had led the way in this unfaithfulness. At the time of evening sacrifice (3:00 p.m. or the ninth hour), Ezra fell on his knees with his hands spread out to the Lord his God. He prayed a prayer of confession of the guilt of the people in disobeying God’s commands. And, the people eventually followed his lead in confessing and in repenting of their sins.

Another term for pagan, thus, would be “world.” Matthew 16:26 says: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” John 15:19 says: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” Romans 12:2 says: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” I Co. 2:12 says: “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” Eph. 2:1-2 says: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

Col. 2:8 says: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” James 4:4 says: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” 2 Peter 1:4 says: “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” And 1 John 2:15-16 says: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 says:

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

17 “Therefore come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”

Instead of intermingling with the world, i.e. with all that stands in direct opposition to God, to his truth, and to his righteousness, we are to be lights to the world – Matthew 5:14 says: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Mark 16:15 says: He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

So, for us to be that light, we need God to pour out his Spirit upon us in revival, and we need to forsake this mingling with the world and this following the world’s pattern. For God to pour out this water (His Spirit; this living water) on thirsty ground, it will mean for that thirsty ground, the worldly church, to fall on its knees before him, to humble ourselves in honesty and confession and repentance, and to be willing to forsake our sinful ways and to correct any wrongs we have committed against God Almighty. Verse 12 of I Co. 10 says: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” We need to make certain that we are not fooling ourselves into thinking we are standing firm when we are not. We need to confess our sins, turn from them, make right any wrongs, and then allow the Spirit of God to fill us to overflowing so that we can be lights to the world instead of becoming one with the world by intermingling with them in their detestable practices.

I noted that, in Isaiah 43, the last verse before this chapter 44, God promised to bring destruction on his people because of their unrepentant hearts against him. Yet, God would leave a remnant. After that strong affirmation of divine judgment, God promised to pour out his blessings and his Holy Spirit on the remnant. Sometimes God must bring judgment on us in order to get us, as his people, to fall on our knees in repentance and obedience. And, sometimes the pouring out of water on thirsty ground can also be a judgment of God in order to bring about that repentance that leads to this pouring out of His Spirit in revival on those with repentant hearts. So, don’t wait until God has to judge us in order to get us to come to him so that he can pour out his Spirit upon us in revival. Get right with God now.

Write on my Heart every Word

Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 1:43 a.m. – I woke up at 1:30 a.m. with this song playing in my mind:

Tell Me the Story of Jesus / Fanny J. Crosby / John R. Sweney

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

I tried falling back to sleep, but to no avail, so I got up to hear from the Lord. I asked the Lord to speak to my heart. I read I Corinthians 7 on the subject of marriage, then chapter 8 on the subject of eating meat sacrificed to idols, then I moved on to chapter 9, which then talked about the gospel (the story of Jesus), so I knew this is where the Lord Jesus wanted me to focus my attention and where he wanted to speak to my heart. I prayed, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Then, I read I Corinthians 9: (quoting vv. 7-27):

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

My Understanding: As I read through this passage of scripture, there were six verses that stood out to me, in particular, in relation to telling the story of Jesus. I believe that the Lord would have me to examine these six verses by subject matter.

We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel (v. 12)

Paul, in this discourse, was talking on the subject of receiving financial remuneration for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He laid out an argument, as a lawyer would do, for financial compensation for preachers of the gospel, yet he concluded that he and his fellow preachers would not use that right. His reasoning for this was, if he should receive payment for preaching the gospel, it might hinder the gospel message, even though he went on to state clearly that the Lord commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

I believe Paul’s reasoning here has a solid basis, though, and that is that he did not want to be accused of preaching the gospel for profit and thus discredit his ministry. Many preachers may fall prey to the temptation to preach for profit (financial gain) and make this their primary goal in ministry rather than the salvation of human lives. And, this could corrupt and discredit their ministry. Paul wanted to keep his ministry so pure of greed that he refused to take money for what he did. And, that is a good example to follow.

Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel (v. 16)

Paul said that he was compelled to preach, i.e. he sensed the urgency and the necessity of sharing the gospel message. He could not hold it inside. Jeremiah described it this way: “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer. 20:9b). Then, Paul said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” “Woe” means “grief or distress resulting from a serious affliction or misfortune; regret; and/or great sadness of heart” (Encarta). Paul knew the great serious nature of the gospel message and the enormous significance eternally for human lives that they hear, that they understand, and that they believe in Jesus Christ with their whole hearts, surrendering themselves to Jesus Christ in absolute submission and obedience, repenting (turning from) their sins and turning to faith (in action) in Jesus Christ. And, he took his commission to preach the gospel message so seriously that he did not want to do anything that might hinder that message nor did he want to take his calling lightly. He knew that human lives were at stake, and he loved people like God loved people and he was willing to sacrifice his own life, his comfort, and even his rights for the sake of the gospel message to be preached in all its purity and righteousness. This is another great example for us to follow.

I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible (v. 19)

Paul adapted to the customs and the practices of the people to whom he was trying to reach with the gospel message, but only so much as did not compromise his faith and doctrine in the Lord Jesus Christ. He never compromised the message in order to win people to a weak gospel message. The message remained the same; untainted by human flesh. Yet, he had a gift for finding common ground with people and observing their surroundings, their customs, etc. and for relating to them where they were. Again, this is another great example to follow as we share the gospel message in that we should try to find common ground with people and yet not in such a way ever that we compromise the message.

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (v. 23)

Paul said he did all of this (what is described above) for the gospel that he might share in its blessings. The main blessings I see are changed lives, i.e. people coming to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith to have their lives transformed; to no longer be under bondage to and the control and weight of sin over their lives, but to walk in freedom and truth and to have true peace and joy, and to know that one day they will get to be with Jesus (God) for eternity in heaven. To me, there is no greater joy than to see a sinner set free!

Run in such a way to get the prize (v. 24)

Paul used the example here of a runner training to run a race. I have a friend, Josh, who is a runner, and he could tell you more what this means because I am not an athlete. Yet, I do understand the concept of the kind of training that is involved in preparing a runner to run in a race. It involves getting up early in the morning or staying up late at night doing stretches, running to beyond tired sometimes, as well as it involves a strict diet. Paul is making a spiritual parallel here. Our diet is time spent in the word of God (eating the right kinds of stuff spiritually) and cutting out the things of this world and its influences (from TV, movies, music, books, friendships, etc.). And, it means beating our flesh into submission, i.e. to not give in to our sinful nature but to respond, instead, to God and to his righteousness. This is godly discipline. And, we do this to get the crown of eternal life and fellowship with God/Jesus forever, which begins right now.

I do not run like a man running aimlessly (v. 26)

If we are going to run the race in such a way as to get the prize, we cannot run aimlessly. If a person is getting ready for a big race and he or she does not eat the correct diet, he or she does not do the necessary exercises, and he or she does not discipline his or her life in such a way as to not give in to the flesh and its cravings and desires, and if he or she does not commit his or her life to a course of strict discipline in order to win the race, when the day of the big race comes, that person will not be ready and either will not be able to compete at all or will have to quit or will have a heart attack part way through and will never finish the race.

The spiritual parallels should be obvious. We must spend that time at Jesus’ feet each day feeding on his word, and not just to get it into our heads but into our hearts. When it gets into our hearts, then it becomes part of our lives in how we live practically each and every day through obedience to what the Word of God teaches us. Yet, if our lives are filled up with a bunch of “junk food,” spiritually speaking, i.e. if we are taking into our minds and hearts a lot of nonsense and the teachings and philosophies of this world’s system; if we are busy filling up our minds, hearts and lives with viewing sexually explicit material, movies and TV shows with sexual content, filthy language, or anything that brings us to the place where we take God’s word and his truths lightly and we laugh and are entertained by the very things that grieve the heart of Almighty God, then there is no room for God in our hearts. The Bible says we will either obey the lusts of the flesh (one master) or we will obey God (the other master), but we can’t obey both at the same time. We will love one and by loving sin we will hate God. So, we need to rid our lives of any “junk food” that might keep us from competing and finishing the race, and we need to fill our minds and hearts with the truths of God’s Holy Word via studying the Word and via obeying the word and applying it to our daily lives. And, this takes discipline. If we do not discipline our spiritual lives in such a manner, then we are like runners just running aimlessly and we will never be able to finish the race the Lord has set before us with the crown of righteousness at its finish line.