Grace is the nature and resources of God available to us 24/7.
Grace is the overflowing favor of God, the expression of His nature. God expresses His grace through love and mercy.
Grace is unconditional love expressed through unconditional acceptance made available to us through the unlimited resources of God because of Christ death on the Cross. Because of the Cross, the wrath of God toward sinners is removed. "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17
Grace is like oxygen we breathe. We cannot store up oxygen today for tomorrow. It must be appropriated moment by moment. God's grace is appropriated in a similar manner...daily! Remember the story of "manna." The grace you had yesterday will not do for today.
Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God.
"I have chosen you" (John 15:16) is the way the grace of God begins in our lives.
"Living under the law is the tendency to desire a list of preset boundaries and not a relationship (For example: a young male asking how far he and his date can go sexually.) While law and grace both have commandments, Grace comes with an inbuilt ability to obey what was commanded. Under grace, I don't get a road map...I get a tour guide, the Holy Spirit. He directs, reveals and empowers me to be and do what the Word says." Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth, page 93
PLUGGING INTO FUTURE GRACE
My faith in past grace (i.e. the Cross and redemption) is wonderful and effective for my initial salvation. God's future grace, His power and wisdom and energy through the Holy Spirit, is just as wonderful and effective. My faith for living the Christian life and for Christian service is not in past grace, but in future grace...the confident assurance that the grace that saved me will also empower me to live today and to serve Him in all of my tomorrows.
Future grace is faith in the character and nature of God, that He will fulfill all of His promises. I live today by future grace. I serve today by future grace. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ." (II Corinthians 1:20)
Grace is the nature and character of God and by faith I plug into an intimate relationship with Him. I receive His grace right now and I have confidence that His grace will be there in the future. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (II Corinthians 9:8)
Whatever ministry I have is His ministry and it is empowered by His grace.
"But by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I but the grace of God that was with me." (I Corinthians 15:10)
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
God's Presence - Our Christian Experience
God's presence always dwells in a "house" on earth.
After the exile of the first couple from the Garden of Eden, God did not have a dwelling place on earth. His transcendent presence (omnipresence) has always been here, but His immanent presence (personal) was absent from the earth, except for special visitations to the early patriarchs (Noah-Genesis 6:1-7:16; Abraham-Genesis 12:1-22:13).
The first mention of God's immanent presence having a house on the earth comes in the life of Jacob. This is the story of Jacob's dream of a ladder or stairway resting on earth with its top reaching to heaven. On this ladder or stairway the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:10-13, 16-17, 19). This story sets the foundation for the subject of "the house of God" on earth throughout the Scriptures. Jacob's response was:
"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
Jacob called that place "Bethel" which means "the house of God."
The next occurrence that relates to a house for God is during the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. God told Moses to make a house for him (Exodus 25:8):
"Then have them (Israelites) make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."
And once the Tabernacle was completed, "The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35). The Tabernacle became the place where God dwelled on earth.
The term "dwell" is an interesting term as it is used in the Scriptures. It literally means "to inhabit as one's abode, to settle down in a dwelling, to dwell fixedly in a place; to tabernacle with." God came to dwell among the Hebrew people and His abode was the Tabernacle.
In I Chronicles 17 we read of David's desire to build a house for God.
"After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent."
Nathan had a dream that David was not the one to build a house for God but that it would be Solomon, David's son who would build God's house (I Chronicles 17:1-14).
Solomon did build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem (II Chronicles 3-5). When the Temple was finished, "the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God" (II Chronicles 5:13-14). Solomon said the Temple was a place for God to dwell forever (II Chronicles 6:1-2). But God had another dwelling place in mind that Solomon did not know about.
The Hebrew people turned from God and the Temple was eventually destroyed. The Israelites were taken into captivity and eventually scattered all over the earth. After the Temple was destroyed, God did not have a dwelling place, a house on earth, until Jesus was born. This was God's place that Solomon did not understand.
In John 1:14 it reads:
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."
Remember that the word "dwelt" means "to tabernacle with." Jesus was the tabernacle of God in the flesh, the place whwere God lived on the earth. Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Paul wrote, "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him..." (Colossians 1:19). The author of Hebrews wrote, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being..." And Jesus Himself connected His life to Jacob's dream (John 1:51) signaling that He Jesus was the house of God on earth.
Jesus was the dwelling place of God. The house of God made flesh; the abode where God lived. The house of God was no longer a tent or a building; the dwelling place of God was now a Person. Jesus brought the nature and character of God to earth in His flesh. He was an incarnation of God who dwelled inside of Him. He was a tabernacle, a temple of flesh. But God had a plan for something more!
Jesus told His Disciples that the Father would give them another "Helper" of the same kind as Himself to be with them forever (John 14:16). This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 17:21) and the Spirit of God came upon the Disciples and dwelled within them. God had a plan for a new dwelling place on earth!
Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "You yourselves are God's temple" (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19) and in II Corinthians 6:16: "We are the temple of the living God." The consistent message of the New Testament is that christians are the house (temple, tabernacle, dwelling place) of God and that God's Spirit lives in us, making us His sons and daughters (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:16). You are the "House of God' on earth today!
God's presence tabernacles (dwells) in us. His glory dwells in us as it did in the Tabernacle and Temple. Our hearts are the "holy of holies." His desire is for that glory to flow through us into the world. Wherever we go, we take the presence of God into that situation, that place of work, that relationship. And God wants us to let his glory, His love, His light infect every environment in which we live or work or pass through. We are "new creatures" (II Corinthians 5:17), "Christ's ambassadors" to spread the message of God's Kingdom (II Corinthians 5:20).
Wherever we go God's presence goes with us and we are to allow this "unseen" power and presence to change the atmosphere of every situation or encounter we experience. Jesus said we are the "salt" (Matthew 5:13) and the "light" (Matthew 5:14) and wherever we go, we add salt and shine His light. The atmosphere is impacted and changed.
You are the "House of God" on earth. Allow God to be at home inside of you, but unlock all the doors so He can freely pass in and out impacting every situation, every environment you encounter. You are an agent, an ambassador, presenting God through your life, telling the world Jesus is the real thing.
This article was written by Waylon Ward, Executive Director of Mercy Matters. For more information or to contact Waylon email http://waylon@mercymatters.com or phone 214-415-3486. Check out http://mercymatters.org for information about Mercy Matters.
After the exile of the first couple from the Garden of Eden, God did not have a dwelling place on earth. His transcendent presence (omnipresence) has always been here, but His immanent presence (personal) was absent from the earth, except for special visitations to the early patriarchs (Noah-Genesis 6:1-7:16; Abraham-Genesis 12:1-22:13).
The first mention of God's immanent presence having a house on the earth comes in the life of Jacob. This is the story of Jacob's dream of a ladder or stairway resting on earth with its top reaching to heaven. On this ladder or stairway the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:10-13, 16-17, 19). This story sets the foundation for the subject of "the house of God" on earth throughout the Scriptures. Jacob's response was:
"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
Jacob called that place "Bethel" which means "the house of God."
The next occurrence that relates to a house for God is during the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. God told Moses to make a house for him (Exodus 25:8):
"Then have them (Israelites) make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."
And once the Tabernacle was completed, "The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35). The Tabernacle became the place where God dwelled on earth.
The term "dwell" is an interesting term as it is used in the Scriptures. It literally means "to inhabit as one's abode, to settle down in a dwelling, to dwell fixedly in a place; to tabernacle with." God came to dwell among the Hebrew people and His abode was the Tabernacle.
In I Chronicles 17 we read of David's desire to build a house for God.
"After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent."
Nathan had a dream that David was not the one to build a house for God but that it would be Solomon, David's son who would build God's house (I Chronicles 17:1-14).
Solomon did build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem (II Chronicles 3-5). When the Temple was finished, "the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God" (II Chronicles 5:13-14). Solomon said the Temple was a place for God to dwell forever (II Chronicles 6:1-2). But God had another dwelling place in mind that Solomon did not know about.
The Hebrew people turned from God and the Temple was eventually destroyed. The Israelites were taken into captivity and eventually scattered all over the earth. After the Temple was destroyed, God did not have a dwelling place, a house on earth, until Jesus was born. This was God's place that Solomon did not understand.
In John 1:14 it reads:
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."
Remember that the word "dwelt" means "to tabernacle with." Jesus was the tabernacle of God in the flesh, the place whwere God lived on the earth. Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Paul wrote, "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him..." (Colossians 1:19). The author of Hebrews wrote, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being..." And Jesus Himself connected His life to Jacob's dream (John 1:51) signaling that He Jesus was the house of God on earth.
Jesus was the dwelling place of God. The house of God made flesh; the abode where God lived. The house of God was no longer a tent or a building; the dwelling place of God was now a Person. Jesus brought the nature and character of God to earth in His flesh. He was an incarnation of God who dwelled inside of Him. He was a tabernacle, a temple of flesh. But God had a plan for something more!
Jesus told His Disciples that the Father would give them another "Helper" of the same kind as Himself to be with them forever (John 14:16). This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 17:21) and the Spirit of God came upon the Disciples and dwelled within them. God had a plan for a new dwelling place on earth!
Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "You yourselves are God's temple" (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19) and in II Corinthians 6:16: "We are the temple of the living God." The consistent message of the New Testament is that christians are the house (temple, tabernacle, dwelling place) of God and that God's Spirit lives in us, making us His sons and daughters (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:16). You are the "House of God' on earth today!
God's presence tabernacles (dwells) in us. His glory dwells in us as it did in the Tabernacle and Temple. Our hearts are the "holy of holies." His desire is for that glory to flow through us into the world. Wherever we go, we take the presence of God into that situation, that place of work, that relationship. And God wants us to let his glory, His love, His light infect every environment in which we live or work or pass through. We are "new creatures" (II Corinthians 5:17), "Christ's ambassadors" to spread the message of God's Kingdom (II Corinthians 5:20).
Wherever we go God's presence goes with us and we are to allow this "unseen" power and presence to change the atmosphere of every situation or encounter we experience. Jesus said we are the "salt" (Matthew 5:13) and the "light" (Matthew 5:14) and wherever we go, we add salt and shine His light. The atmosphere is impacted and changed.
You are the "House of God" on earth. Allow God to be at home inside of you, but unlock all the doors so He can freely pass in and out impacting every situation, every environment you encounter. You are an agent, an ambassador, presenting God through your life, telling the world Jesus is the real thing.
This article was written by Waylon Ward, Executive Director of Mercy Matters. For more information or to contact Waylon email http://waylon@mercymatters.com or phone 214-415-3486. Check out http://mercymatters.org for information about Mercy Matters.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Growing Character
"Many of us prefer to stay at the threshold of the Christian life instead of going on to construct a soul in accordance with the new life God has put in." Oswald Chambers
"Constructing a soul" is a picture of Christian growth. Growth is a necessary part of the christian man's experience, an aspect of beling alive spiritually. All living things grow and renew themselves.
A Christian man's growth is in the area of his soul. It is in the soul where character becomes like that of Jesus, so you participate in His "Divine Nature" (II Peter 1:4).
Do you need to work on or construct your soul? The answer to that question depends on the condition of your soul. (Read: Mark 7:12, Hebrews 3:12, Matthew 12:34, 15:19, Jeremiah 17:9). What comes out of us verbally and behaviorally is evidence of the condition of our soul...the way we react before we consciously control our tongue or behavior or imagination. (Relate to lust or anger)
"We fail because we are ignorant of the way we are made, we put things down to the devil instead of our own undisciplined nature." Oswald Chambers
We are to construct our soul, participate in the growing of our character. We grow and change through 'intentional' choices. These intentional choices become intentional habits. There are at least five intentional choices to make:
1. Intentionally choose to get to know the God of Scripture.
2. Intentionally give priority to Bible study and the Spirit's interpretation of the Scriptures (John 16:13).
3. Intentionally pray everyday for "the eyes of your heart to be opened" (Ephesians 1:18)
4. Intentionally refuse to be content with head knowledge. Intentionally ask God to give you "Spiritual heartburn" (Luke 24:32)
5. Intentionally choose to be in relationships that encourage and edify you in your personal spiritual growth.
(Some of the material on 'intentional choices' is based on teaching by Dudley Hall and revised and added to by the author.)
"Constructing a soul" is a picture of Christian growth. Growth is a necessary part of the christian man's experience, an aspect of beling alive spiritually. All living things grow and renew themselves.
A Christian man's growth is in the area of his soul. It is in the soul where character becomes like that of Jesus, so you participate in His "Divine Nature" (II Peter 1:4).
Do you need to work on or construct your soul? The answer to that question depends on the condition of your soul. (Read: Mark 7:12, Hebrews 3:12, Matthew 12:34, 15:19, Jeremiah 17:9). What comes out of us verbally and behaviorally is evidence of the condition of our soul...the way we react before we consciously control our tongue or behavior or imagination. (Relate to lust or anger)
"We fail because we are ignorant of the way we are made, we put things down to the devil instead of our own undisciplined nature." Oswald Chambers
We are to construct our soul, participate in the growing of our character. We grow and change through 'intentional' choices. These intentional choices become intentional habits. There are at least five intentional choices to make:
1. Intentionally choose to get to know the God of Scripture.
2. Intentionally give priority to Bible study and the Spirit's interpretation of the Scriptures (John 16:13).
3. Intentionally pray everyday for "the eyes of your heart to be opened" (Ephesians 1:18)
4. Intentionally refuse to be content with head knowledge. Intentionally ask God to give you "Spiritual heartburn" (Luke 24:32)
5. Intentionally choose to be in relationships that encourage and edify you in your personal spiritual growth.
(Some of the material on 'intentional choices' is based on teaching by Dudley Hall and revised and added to by the author.)
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Soul Construction
Have you heard the definition of HELL, that is making the rounds in Christian circles? HELL is the person you are encountering the person you could have been? The definition hooks into our emotions more than it expresses our theology, but it is a sobering thought.
The part of us that lives for eternity is the immaterial part of ourselves, our soul. The person you are is the person you are on the inside and that is your soul. How are you doing in constructing your soul? How would you feel if the soul you have today, were to be compared to the soul you could have constructed? SOUL CONSTRUCTION presents the concept that what you make of your soul has eternal implications and is important to God.
The soul is that immaterial part of each human being that lives for eternity either with God or separate from God. Every human being who has ever lived had a soul; every human being who is alive today has a soul and every individual who will live in the years to come will have a soul. The human soul is what came into being when God breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7) and it is that part of you that will live for eternity.
The human soul consists of all the invisible aspects of who you are. It includes your mind (thinking abilities), your emotions and feelings, your memory, your imagination, and your will. Most people are picturing the soul when they use the word "heart" to identify the material part of a person. ("He is all heart"; "She sure has a good heart." etc.) The soul is that unique part of each individual, created in the image of God. No two souls are alike, but each is a divine unique original. There will never be another soul just like your soul.
Each individual soul is created to represent a unique aspect of God's nature, His character and attributes. When the Spirit in a person shines through his or her soul, it shines with a unique flavor...expresses a uniqueness that God intended for that soul to present to the world. Every human being is developing, constructing, growing his own personal unique soul, and God is using all of the events and influences of life in the construction process (Romans 8:28-29).
TREASURES IN HEAVEN
What does a person take into eternity when he or she dies? Obviously the body does not go. None of his or her material possessions make the trip. So what lives in eternity when a person dies? Only the soul, the immaterial part of the person, lives for eternity.
Read this passage from the Gospel of Matthew in light of the idea that your soul lives for eternity:
"Do not store up for your self treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
Perhaps the treasure a person is storing up is his or her soul which is where the heart is.
Paul wrote in I Timothy 4:8 that what we do now has implications for the future. "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you." Perhaps we need to reread some of the Gospels looking at the inner man instead of the outer world. For example, how does the meaning of the Parable of the Talents change if you see the talents as the individual's soul and the capacity of that soul? Were the servants complemented about what they did in the development of their own souls?
The part of us that lives for eternity is the immaterial part of ourselves, our soul. The person you are is the person you are on the inside and that is your soul. How are you doing in constructing your soul? How would you feel if the soul you have today, were to be compared to the soul you could have constructed? SOUL CONSTRUCTION presents the concept that what you make of your soul has eternal implications and is important to God.
The soul is that immaterial part of each human being that lives for eternity either with God or separate from God. Every human being who has ever lived had a soul; every human being who is alive today has a soul and every individual who will live in the years to come will have a soul. The human soul is what came into being when God breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7) and it is that part of you that will live for eternity.
The human soul consists of all the invisible aspects of who you are. It includes your mind (thinking abilities), your emotions and feelings, your memory, your imagination, and your will. Most people are picturing the soul when they use the word "heart" to identify the material part of a person. ("He is all heart"; "She sure has a good heart." etc.) The soul is that unique part of each individual, created in the image of God. No two souls are alike, but each is a divine unique original. There will never be another soul just like your soul.
Each individual soul is created to represent a unique aspect of God's nature, His character and attributes. When the Spirit in a person shines through his or her soul, it shines with a unique flavor...expresses a uniqueness that God intended for that soul to present to the world. Every human being is developing, constructing, growing his own personal unique soul, and God is using all of the events and influences of life in the construction process (Romans 8:28-29).
TREASURES IN HEAVEN
What does a person take into eternity when he or she dies? Obviously the body does not go. None of his or her material possessions make the trip. So what lives in eternity when a person dies? Only the soul, the immaterial part of the person, lives for eternity.
Read this passage from the Gospel of Matthew in light of the idea that your soul lives for eternity:
"Do not store up for your self treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
Perhaps the treasure a person is storing up is his or her soul which is where the heart is.
Paul wrote in I Timothy 4:8 that what we do now has implications for the future. "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you." Perhaps we need to reread some of the Gospels looking at the inner man instead of the outer world. For example, how does the meaning of the Parable of the Talents change if you see the talents as the individual's soul and the capacity of that soul? Were the servants complemented about what they did in the development of their own souls?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The War for Men's Hearts
"The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it." Waking The Dead, p. 34
There is a war going on. We are trapped in this war whether we like it or not. It is a war for the hearts of men. The enemy knows that to win, he must cripple men in their hearts. He knows he must take the heart out of the warriors in this battle between Kingdoms. The enemy, like a skilled boxer, body punches a man, to take the fight out of him, to break his will to win, to cause his opponent to lose heart and hope...and quit the battle.
How many times does a man have to be body punched, sucker punched, hit below the belt before he quits? How much can the average guy take? Paul Newman in the movie Cool Hand Luke, keeps getting up when the George Kennedy character keeps knocking him down. Luke keeps escaping and the Warden keeps trying to break his spirit, trying to take the fight out of him. But Luke keeps getting up and keeps fighting. He never quits. Isn't this a picture of the way life is supposed to be for Christian men...getting up time and time again? (See Romans 5:3, II Corinthians 1:3-10, James 1:2-4, I Peter 5:8-9.) And never, never, never...quitting!
This is a picture of the war Christian men are trapped in, but many have been crippled in their hearts and have quit the fight. Look at the Christian men all around you. Most are like dead men walking, going through the routine of life, just getting through the day, putting in their time. Too many Christian men have had the fight whipped out of them.
How much fight, will to win, is left in you? Most days many guys put in their hours, go home, kill the pain with a few beers or a few hours of TV, trying to forget the day they had and wishing they did not have to do it all over again tomorrow. Some of you know that feeling and don't know how much longer you can keep getting up and not quit.
Who stands with these men to encourage them? Who stands with you to encourage you?
"Encourage" is an interesting word. It literally means: "to put heart into." When we receive encouragement, we are getting more heart, a refreshing new life for our inner man. Our heart is being "kick-started," jolted out of lethargic hopelessness into a revitalized new perspective by the encouragement of a friend. This is what the Scriptures tell us to do: "Encourage one another" (I Thessalonians 4:18, Hebrews 3:13, 10:25, Isaiah 1:17).
The essential element in spiritual warfare is the battle for men's hearts. Who will they serve? Will they lose their will to fight and quit? Is there anyone who can step up and encourage them from their corner of the world?
THE HEARTS OF MEN
The major battlefield in spiritual warfare is the hearts of men. The enemy is entrenched and well fortified. The enemy forces are relentless. Their hope is to break men's hearts so they will quit the battle. The enemy appears to be achieving a great victory. Men's hearts are faltering on every front.
John Eldredge writes about the enemy's strategies:
"Make them so busy, they ignore the heart. Wound them so deeply they don't want a heart. Twist their theology, so they despise the heart. Take away their courage. Destroy their creativity. Make intimacy with God impossible for them." Waking the Dead, p. 51
The enemy knows that he wins a battle every time a man quits living from his heart.
The battle is on. You are in the war. Remember the speech from Brave Heart? What will be your memories of this day?
Guard your heart for it is the source of your life (Proverbs 4:23). Join the battle for the heart of your buddies and the men God brings into your life. Learn to encourage one another, holding on to your hope in the One who is faithful (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Men need other men who will mentor and coach them in this day of spiritual warfare. You can be one of those coaches or mentors that other guys look to. You can learn how to be there for other men. You can train yourself to see and understand the issues Satan uses to crush men's hearts and you can learn how to lead men to the sure hope that is in Christ, regardless of the issues they face. Your brothers in Christ need you to stand with them, walk with them and they need you to help guard their back-sides. Jesus has called you for this battle, this purpose, and He will enable you to become equipped and emposered to mentor and coach other men.
Check out the "M3 Groups: Men Mentoring Men" offered by Mercy Matters. These groups can change lives...yours and the lives of the men God brings into your life! For information call 214-415-3486.
There is a war going on. We are trapped in this war whether we like it or not. It is a war for the hearts of men. The enemy knows that to win, he must cripple men in their hearts. He knows he must take the heart out of the warriors in this battle between Kingdoms. The enemy, like a skilled boxer, body punches a man, to take the fight out of him, to break his will to win, to cause his opponent to lose heart and hope...and quit the battle.
How many times does a man have to be body punched, sucker punched, hit below the belt before he quits? How much can the average guy take? Paul Newman in the movie Cool Hand Luke, keeps getting up when the George Kennedy character keeps knocking him down. Luke keeps escaping and the Warden keeps trying to break his spirit, trying to take the fight out of him. But Luke keeps getting up and keeps fighting. He never quits. Isn't this a picture of the way life is supposed to be for Christian men...getting up time and time again? (See Romans 5:3, II Corinthians 1:3-10, James 1:2-4, I Peter 5:8-9.) And never, never, never...quitting!
This is a picture of the war Christian men are trapped in, but many have been crippled in their hearts and have quit the fight. Look at the Christian men all around you. Most are like dead men walking, going through the routine of life, just getting through the day, putting in their time. Too many Christian men have had the fight whipped out of them.
How much fight, will to win, is left in you? Most days many guys put in their hours, go home, kill the pain with a few beers or a few hours of TV, trying to forget the day they had and wishing they did not have to do it all over again tomorrow. Some of you know that feeling and don't know how much longer you can keep getting up and not quit.
Who stands with these men to encourage them? Who stands with you to encourage you?
"Encourage" is an interesting word. It literally means: "to put heart into." When we receive encouragement, we are getting more heart, a refreshing new life for our inner man. Our heart is being "kick-started," jolted out of lethargic hopelessness into a revitalized new perspective by the encouragement of a friend. This is what the Scriptures tell us to do: "Encourage one another" (I Thessalonians 4:18, Hebrews 3:13, 10:25, Isaiah 1:17).
The essential element in spiritual warfare is the battle for men's hearts. Who will they serve? Will they lose their will to fight and quit? Is there anyone who can step up and encourage them from their corner of the world?
THE HEARTS OF MEN
The major battlefield in spiritual warfare is the hearts of men. The enemy is entrenched and well fortified. The enemy forces are relentless. Their hope is to break men's hearts so they will quit the battle. The enemy appears to be achieving a great victory. Men's hearts are faltering on every front.
John Eldredge writes about the enemy's strategies:
"Make them so busy, they ignore the heart. Wound them so deeply they don't want a heart. Twist their theology, so they despise the heart. Take away their courage. Destroy their creativity. Make intimacy with God impossible for them." Waking the Dead, p. 51
The enemy knows that he wins a battle every time a man quits living from his heart.
The battle is on. You are in the war. Remember the speech from Brave Heart? What will be your memories of this day?
Guard your heart for it is the source of your life (Proverbs 4:23). Join the battle for the heart of your buddies and the men God brings into your life. Learn to encourage one another, holding on to your hope in the One who is faithful (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Men need other men who will mentor and coach them in this day of spiritual warfare. You can be one of those coaches or mentors that other guys look to. You can learn how to be there for other men. You can train yourself to see and understand the issues Satan uses to crush men's hearts and you can learn how to lead men to the sure hope that is in Christ, regardless of the issues they face. Your brothers in Christ need you to stand with them, walk with them and they need you to help guard their back-sides. Jesus has called you for this battle, this purpose, and He will enable you to become equipped and emposered to mentor and coach other men.
Check out the "M3 Groups: Men Mentoring Men" offered by Mercy Matters. These groups can change lives...yours and the lives of the men God brings into your life! For information call 214-415-3486.
Men and True Power
It is imperative that Christian men understand the authority that Jesus has given to them. Here is a helpful outline:
1. Adam and Eve were put on earth and commissioned to "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28) They were given dominion over the entire earth and their job description was to use this dominion to "subdue" the earth.
2. Satan is always empowered through man's agreement with him (Amos 3:3) and he seduced Adam and Eve into agreement with his suggestion to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-4).
3. In their agreement with Satan, they forfeited their dominion over the earth to Satan giving him the power and authority that God had originally given them (Luke 4:6). They were driven from the Garden.
4. God sent Jesus into the world to recapture "that" which was lost (Luke 19:10).
5. Satan tempted Jesus to take a short cut to get the power and dominion over the earth back (Luke 4:5-8). Jesus didn't take the bait.
6. Jesus told His followers that He gave them authority to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). At the Cross, He defeated Satan and forever recaptured what Adam and Eve had lost (Colossians 2:13-15).
7. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says He got all of the dominion and power back from Satan, and we are to go in His Name and His authority to "subdue" the earth and fulfill the original Genesis commission.
8. Jesus said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit in His name (John 14:25). To be born spiritually is to become children of God and it means that you have the Holy Spirit living in you (Romans 8:15-16).
9. Jesus said that His followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (Acts 1:8) and Paul said we are to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Our faith is based, not on men's wisdom but on God's power (I Corinthians 2:4-5). This is our true power and our primary job description (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Christian men are empowered to subdue the enemy (Ephesians 6:12) and retake the earth. In this way we bring God's Kingdom to earth and change the atmosphere of our community. This is the purpose of being empowered by Jesus!
1. Adam and Eve were put on earth and commissioned to "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28) They were given dominion over the entire earth and their job description was to use this dominion to "subdue" the earth.
2. Satan is always empowered through man's agreement with him (Amos 3:3) and he seduced Adam and Eve into agreement with his suggestion to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-4).
3. In their agreement with Satan, they forfeited their dominion over the earth to Satan giving him the power and authority that God had originally given them (Luke 4:6). They were driven from the Garden.
4. God sent Jesus into the world to recapture "that" which was lost (Luke 19:10).
5. Satan tempted Jesus to take a short cut to get the power and dominion over the earth back (Luke 4:5-8). Jesus didn't take the bait.
6. Jesus told His followers that He gave them authority to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). At the Cross, He defeated Satan and forever recaptured what Adam and Eve had lost (Colossians 2:13-15).
7. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says He got all of the dominion and power back from Satan, and we are to go in His Name and His authority to "subdue" the earth and fulfill the original Genesis commission.
8. Jesus said that the Father would send the Holy Spirit in His name (John 14:25). To be born spiritually is to become children of God and it means that you have the Holy Spirit living in you (Romans 8:15-16).
9. Jesus said that His followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (Acts 1:8) and Paul said we are to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Our faith is based, not on men's wisdom but on God's power (I Corinthians 2:4-5). This is our true power and our primary job description (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Christian men are empowered to subdue the enemy (Ephesians 6:12) and retake the earth. In this way we bring God's Kingdom to earth and change the atmosphere of our community. This is the purpose of being empowered by Jesus!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Catalysts for Conversations
Conversations work best in peer relationships. These articles come from a peer to peers, not from a professional authority speaking ex cathedra. My desire is that you read, you thihk, you share, you converse and allow the Spirit of God to guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Let the Spirit of God take you to the insights and truths that will facilitate your personal growth and soul construction.
These articles are the product of my personal study which has been influenced significantly be the writings of Leanne Payne, Henri Nouwen, Bill Johnson, Oswald Chambers, Erwin McMannus and many others. I have endeavored to document the articles where I can, but many of my thoughts are a rewording of the ideas of another writer so that it communicates with me. There is no intent to not give credit where credit is due. But once the Holy Spirit has communicated the idea into my heart and soul, it becomes difficult to know anything more than perhaps the origins of the seed thought. Howard Hendricks, told us as a young seminary students: "Graze everyman's pasture, but give your own milk." I pray that what you read is like fresh milk to your soul.
Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest:
"Struggle to reexpress some truth of God to yourself, and God will use that expression to someone else...You must struggle to get expression experimentally, then there will come a time when that expression will become the very wine of strengthening to someone else...Try to state to yourself what you feel implicitly to be God's truth, and you give God a chance to pass it on to someone else through you...The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance."
The Holy Spirit and Chambers words have guided me in what you will read in this Blog.
My prayer is that these articles will stimulate the thinking of people who truly hunger for authentic Christian spirituality. Perhaps the Spirit might use one or more of the thoughts presented here as a catalyst for one or more readers. Then these readers might come forward to lead a mighty new reformation of a lot of other people who will make a mighty difference in the years to come.
Feel free to duplicate the articles for use in small groups. I invite your comments and thoughts so send them to http://waylon@mercymatters.com. I can be reached by phone at 214-415-3486.
These articles are the product of my personal study which has been influenced significantly be the writings of Leanne Payne, Henri Nouwen, Bill Johnson, Oswald Chambers, Erwin McMannus and many others. I have endeavored to document the articles where I can, but many of my thoughts are a rewording of the ideas of another writer so that it communicates with me. There is no intent to not give credit where credit is due. But once the Holy Spirit has communicated the idea into my heart and soul, it becomes difficult to know anything more than perhaps the origins of the seed thought. Howard Hendricks, told us as a young seminary students: "Graze everyman's pasture, but give your own milk." I pray that what you read is like fresh milk to your soul.
Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest:
"Struggle to reexpress some truth of God to yourself, and God will use that expression to someone else...You must struggle to get expression experimentally, then there will come a time when that expression will become the very wine of strengthening to someone else...Try to state to yourself what you feel implicitly to be God's truth, and you give God a chance to pass it on to someone else through you...The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance."
The Holy Spirit and Chambers words have guided me in what you will read in this Blog.
My prayer is that these articles will stimulate the thinking of people who truly hunger for authentic Christian spirituality. Perhaps the Spirit might use one or more of the thoughts presented here as a catalyst for one or more readers. Then these readers might come forward to lead a mighty new reformation of a lot of other people who will make a mighty difference in the years to come.
Feel free to duplicate the articles for use in small groups. I invite your comments and thoughts so send them to http://waylon@mercymatters.com. I can be reached by phone at 214-415-3486.
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