The Evidence Of Faith

Many years ago, when I asked Sheila, my wife, to marry me, and she said yes, I began to prepare and make plans for our wedding day, our honeymoon, and our life together. I altered my life to accommodate her becoming my wife and sharing a place with me.

I went out and rented a two-story, two-bedroom townhouse as the place where we would start our married life together.  I saved money for our honeymoon and reserved accommodations for it.

I did all these things even though we had not stood before witnesses and exchanged vows yet.  I did not wait until after the I do to make these preparations because I already believed we would be married just as she and I had promised each other.

She also made preparations. Our faith in each other’s promises moved us into action and preparation.

Faith is not dormant.  It is not lazy.  It is not inactive.

Faith activates, mobilizes, and moves people into action based on what they believe.

Jesus said something profound,

Luke 8:19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”  21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

When the word of God is heard and believed, it moves a person to act on what it is they have believed.

Merely talking about what one believes is not the same as acting on it. Faith opens the door of understanding to the next step. It lights the path of the will of God in the moment. It shines a spotlight on the opportunity and possibility before a person according to God’s desire and the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke of doing what was heard, not just hearing it and agreeing with it because it was too difficult to argue against in the first place.

Dead religion seeks agreement and is happy to hear someone parrot what they say is important. If there are discussions on it and everyone simply agrees, that is enough to satisfy dead religion. But real faith is never satisfied with mere agreement. Real faith has to do something about what is accepted as truth and believed to be right. Real faith will always act on it.

The evidence of faith is always the action that follows it. I believed and had faith that I would be married to Sheila, and it moved me into actions that altered my life. I believed and put my faith in Jesus, and it forever altered who I am and how I live. Faith changes a person from the inside out.  Faith will always provide more than enough evidence to prove it exists by what is done as a result of it.

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Last Days

With the recent 2024 solar eclipse, it appears that many all of a sudden had the last days on their minds.

There’s something about celestial events that stir up in people the idea that the end is drawing near.

I would agree that we live in the last days, even without a solar eclipse to consider.

The description Scripture offers us for knowing this has nothing to do with celestial events.

2 Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

I believe this sufficiently describes our generation today.  So I think it is safe to say we are in the last days.

It reminds me of the times when I was in school; the day for a test was drawing near, and we all began to press hard to prepare for it.  We didn’t want to fail.  To avoid failing the test, we prepared ourselves for what we knew was coming.

A sports team prepares for the upcoming opponent they know they will face.  They practice offensive and defensive game plans in a quest for victory.  They access the opposition and plan accordingly for them.

Finding ourselves in the midst of a generation that has lost its way while thinking it is finding it, we are wisely advised in Scripture.

Ephesians 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.   17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Redeeming time is by knowing God’s will so that we can participate in it. This is also called wisdom.

Is there any indication in Scripture regarding the will of God for the last days?

Acts 2:17 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,  That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

The outpouring of the Spirit occurs during the last days. It is God’s will that it be so because it is necessary to sustain His children in evil times and set them apart. For me, this reality of the Holy Spirit’s move in the lives of believers is important.  I want to be as prepared as I can be, so I humble myself and acknowledge my great need to be filled with the Holy Spirit all the time because in evil times, knowing His will matters.  It is His will that the Spirit is poured out on all flesh, meaning simply without respect of persons.  So whether you are male, female, young or old, rich or poor, and regardless of race, so long as you are His, the opportunity to experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life is always available.

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An Incorruptible Inheritance

1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

I’m so glad that what Jesus did will not fade away and that the inheritance He secured for me is incorruptible and undefiled.

It can be good to know that the trials we face are meant to bring forth praise, honor, and glory to God as we stand in faith, unshaken in our testimony of His goodness and grace.

By continuing to believe in Him despite all the odds and circumstances the enemy desires to use to tell us it is of no use, we demonstrate our love for Him. Believers in Jesus experience many of the same things those who do not believe experience in this life. We live in a fallen world.

But believers know they have received something special when they are given new life in Christ—something so special that angels desire to look into it, and the prophets longed to see it in their day.

We have been brought into a living hope!  It is not a hope on life support.  It is a hope that lives and increases all the more.

When we believe as we should, it produces the fruit of joy, inexpressible, and full of glory!

All this is made possible through Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. His resurrection testifies to us that for those who are in Him, there is something to look forward to because just as He was raised from the dead, so also shall all who belong to Him be raised from the dead on the day of His return.  We have already been made alive again by means of resurrection when His story became our story by reason of our being placed in Him and He in us.  It is a grand story too good for some to believe, but for those who have it is wonderful and alive!  I hope you will rejoice today in your incorruptible inheritance given to you in Christ.

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Need Wisdom?

Life is filled with choices. How we make our choices determines whether or not we get to enjoy the benefits we’ve been given in Christ. The benefits are already there, and ours in Christ.  But the act of receiving what is already available is affected by our choices.

Faith can receive what has been secured by Christ, and it activates direction and the right course of action.  Life will bring situations and circumstances into a believer’s life that will put their faith to the test.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In the walk of faith, we believe something that is not yet seen but is just as real as if it were seen. So we are equipped with the patience to conduct ourselves as though it is already ours, and that changes how we conduct ourselves towards God and towards others. It results in living in the completeness provided to us in Christ. Living in completeness brings the reward of contentment.

To live in that completeness requires wisdom beyond ourselves.  To receive that wisdom we need requires real faith.  A pretend faith will never be able to receive what is so freely offered to us in Christ just for the asking.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The first step to receiving wisdom is realizing our need for it. We do not ask for something we think we can obtain all on our own.

The second step to receiving God’s wisdom, which is the highest and best wisdom, is the realization that it is to be treasured above all other wisdom.  There is no wisdom of earth that can compare to the wisdom of God.

The third step to receiving God’s wisdom is boldly asking Him for it from a place of believing that not only will He give it, but He will give it to you freely and generously without reprimanding you for why you asked for it to begin with.  He is not going to chide you about how you came to the place of needing to seek His wisdom to start with.  He is simply willing to offer you His wisdom.  He will give you more wisdom than you asked for to start with too!  Remember, according to James, this act of asking was precipitated by the trial of your faith.

But there’s something we all must understand if we are to get the wisdom we ask for. We must ask in faith. That means we ask with confidence that it is ours even before we can see it manifesting.  We do not act as though God did not come through on His end just because things do not turn around in that instant. We apply what we sense is being revealed to us as the course of action on our part, and we stay the course with patience, knowing that the seed of wisdom sown so quietly and inconspicuously will spring forth in its proper time.

But be mindful and aware.  A person who asks with a divided mind should not expect anything from the Lord, not because the Lord withheld it, but because that person is in no shape to receive it.  Everything Christ has done for us and made available to us can only be received by faith.  Doubt obstructs one’s ability to take advantage of what has been done.  When faith asks, faith receives!

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Not Knowing

I have traveled to quite a few nations in which I do not know the language or the customs. It can be a challenge to be in such situations without someone familiar with such things with you—someone who can speak the language and understand what is actually happening.

Not knowing can be a trying place to find oneself.  So it is when it comes to doing life as a disciple.  To not know God’s will is to be left in the dark about purpose and what steps to take.

We cannot respond to something we are not aware of, and we cannot show up to something we do not know is happening. Not knowing will often produce unrest in a disciple.

Confidence springs out of knowing with certainty.

When confidence in knowing is lacking in our own lives, we tend to rely on someone else’s knowing. This is why some people desire rules. It leads people to legalism and allows those who have a strong sense of knowing to lord over them.

There is no real freedom in not knowing.

But what are we to know, and who is supposed to make it clear to us?

Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Jesus came to make us sons of the Father so that we could know the Father, who He is, and His ways based on our relationship with Him. Through our relationship, we can know His will for our lives. Knowing His will is another way of saying that we know His desires for us.

Being ignorant of His desires for us leaves us at the mercy of others and what they say we ought to be and do. It subjects us to a dependency on someone else’s knowing. I’m not shirking any accountability in a believer’s life in saying this.  We do not get to defy what is clearly revealed as God’s will for believers in Scripture.  But when it comes to our own very personal purpose in this life as one of His sons, that is for Him to reveal to us.

Jesus did not give His life to make us clones or subjects of some other man or woman. He gave His life to reconcile us to God and make it possible for us to know God intimately enough to know His will for our lives and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to pursue it.

When this relationship opportunity isn’t taken full advantage of, a person often slips into the rut of following after fads, celebrity personalities, or looking for someone who will tell them what they think they should be or do.  They tend to turn mentors into masters and then struggle when they eventually find flaws in the ones they rely on.

Not knowing can be a dangerous place to live.  No believer should ever have to live in a place where they do not know God’s will and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to pursue it.  Christ did not die to make us slaves of men or sin.  He died to set us free from sin and its dominion over us and to bring us to God with the freedom to know and pursue His will.  We are slaves of righteousness now!  That means we are slaves to being right with God and enjoy Him having the ability to hear His voice for ourselves.

I encourage you not to go one day “Not Knowing” Him and His will for your life.

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Confident Peace

It can be popular to speak of peace despite the circumstances, but what does it really look like to experience such peace?

Last night, local weather went on and on about the danger ahead with pending severe storms moving through our area.  They forecasted that much of it would happen near midnight.  I assume there were some, if not many, who stayed up to keep an eye on things based on the possibility forecasted.  That would mean they lost sleep over the speculation of what might happen.

What might happen seems to be a way of life for many. Decisions made based on speculation can be poor ones.

Jesus exhibited peace in every situation, and He faced some serious ones.  Jesus not only exhibited peace, He is peace and promised to leave His peace with us.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

There are all kinds of things in this world that wish to give us a reason to be anxious and unsure.

They come to us with good arguments for why we should let go of the peace Jesus promised and give way to worry and stress about them.

Jesus was so at peace that He could sleep in a boat in the middle of a storm at sea while His disciples panicked that they were about to sink.

Jesus was so at peace that He could appoint a man who He knew would betray Him and was a thief at heart to be the treasurer of His ministry.

Let that one sink in for a moment.  Money is often the number one source of worry for most people.  It is at the center of many a broken relationship.

Jesus knew something so concretely that He could go through all that He did without losing His peace.

Jesus has made certain promises to those who follow Him, and when those promises are truly believed, they provide comfort and confidence that bring out the fruit of peace.

When the disciples panicked about a raging sea, Jesus spoke to it and said, “Peace be still.”

What might there be happening in your life right now that needs “peace be still” spoken to it?

What has caused you to be anxious or stressed? Jesus cares about it. He offers His peace as a gift in its stead. Confident peace can be yours today. Here’s a closing tip straight from the Word.

Philippians 4:6   Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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Resurrection Life

Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

The Apostle Paul prayed this would be part of the understanding the Ephesians would possess.

God exhibited the exceeding greatness of His power towards us when He raised Jesus from the dead!

We need to grasp this according to the work of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand.

Resurrection is more than just a good story; it is meant to empower us!

Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

By saying Christ was raised from the dead after saying that all the sin of the world was put upon Him at the cross and He took it with Him into the grave, we are saying that when He came out of the grave, the sin He carried with Him into the grave was no longer with Him coming out!

He was truly victorious over sin, which gave Him authority to take away the keys of hell and death from satan!

Revelation 1:17…………….“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

According to Romans 6, when Jesus died, we died with Him, and when Jesus rose from the dead, we were raised in newness of life with Him!  When Christ was seated at the right hand, we were seated with Him!  His story is now our story.  He has included us by placing us in Him!

At the cross, the sin of the world came upon Jesus, and He took it with Him into the grave.  When Jesus arose, sin was left behind in the grave, and He emerged from the grave in righteousness and true holiness.  When Paul speaks of our being in the likeness of His resurrection, this is what he is speaking about!

Because His story is now our story, His victory has become our victory! We are not victorious because of what we have done to make ourselves righteous. We are victorious because He has imputed to us His victory and righteousness.

Resurrection proves that the power of sin has been broken for you and me. Just as Jesus was raised righteous and holy from the grave, so we who have believed have been raised in righteousness and true holiness.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

Jesus took the law out of the way for us when He brought us into His New Covenant!

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Resurrection life is intended to be our daily reality!  Rejoice today and always in the life you have been given in Him!

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Good Friday

Have you ever had high hopes for something, and just before it was, in your thinking, about to unfold, it just disappeared?

How would you feel if you had just watched the most significant person you had ever known be unjustly put to death in the cruelest of ways?

Just imagine for a moment that the one person you have admired more than any other person who has ever lived and with whom you have spent the last three years of your life doing pretty much everything together is killed in a whirlwind of drama. The one person all your hopes and dreams were built on was taken away from you in a moment, and your highest hopes disappeared like a fog once the sun arose.

It doesn’t sound like a Good Friday, does it?  Yet that is what we as believers celebrate every Friday before Easter, or as I like to call it, Resurrection Day comes.

If we follow the Biblical narrative, Jesus had already entered triumphantly into Jerusalem not too long before and later celebrated Passover with His disciples. Afterward, He needed to pray and went to Gethsemene to do so with three of His disciples. That is where Jesus determined to go through with what He knew was God’s will for Him. Then, the temple soldiers arrived and took Him away to be tried.

After a mock trial and being slapped and spit on, He was handed over to Pontius Pilot for trial, where His people turned against Him in favor of a thief and murderer.  With shouts of crucify Him, Jesus was betrayed by His won race and handed over for crucifixion.

His disciples were scattered; one had denied Him at His first trial just as Jesus said He would, and there was only one who hung around to see Him die on the cross.  On that cross, Jesus cried out, “Father, why have You forsaken me?” as the sin of the world came upon Him there.

This is the scene of what we call Good Friday.  But we see it in retrospect.  The men and women who had followed Jesus up to that point did not possess such a luxury.  They were faced with dire circumstances, having watched the one who raised the dead, healed the sick, made the lame to walk and the blind to see be killed by the hands of men, so it seemed.  Where was their faith?  Jesus had spoken to them to prepare them for this.

Those first ones in faith received and proved the text that promises,

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Jesus remained faithful to those men and women. Three days later, He appeared to them and began the process of restoring them and their hope. You might be in what you perceive as the greatest struggle of your life right now. Your latest and best hope is shattered by the reality of circumstances like those first followers experienced. But is all hope lost? Could you be about to experience something amazing happen?

Good Friday screams at us, if we will, but listen—hope is never lost when it is placed on Jesus!  Good Friday teaches us to wait on the Lord, and He will renew our strength.  This story of hope lost and then recovered is why it is called Good Friday by the generations who now know based on retrospect.

I sincerely hope you have a Good Friday today and always!

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Hypocrisy?

If what you claim to know and are learning is not being applied to you personally and causing change, and then you seek to speak it to others as though you possess it, that is the definition of a hypocrite.

The first step to owning what the Holy Spirit is showing you is to share what He pinged you about with someone else and then talk about how you are applying it to your own life.

Revel in how you realize you needed it, be thankful the Holy Spirit revealed it, and then speak to others you respect about how you plan to take your first step, expecting that they will be lovingly willing to ask you later how you are doing with applying what you revealed.

This is discipleship 101 in the body of Christ, and if leaders can’t get it, imagine what the rest of the culture in the church will look like.

Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

What was the issue here with Jesus?

The issue was that these leaders were hypocrites.  What made them hypocrites?

Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

Doing things to impress men and seeking to instruct others without first applying the truth to oneself out of embracing the will of God for oneself is hypocrisy. Religious leaders were guilty of this during Jesus’ time on earth, and many are still doing this today. They rejected His invitation and were threatened by the grace He was binging.

Seeking to teach others without any hint of the self-discipline to apply the truth to one’s own life and practice is hypocrisy.  Being too busy to allow the Holy Spirit to speak and to bring change into one’s own life before seeking to teach it to others is hypocrisy.  His love and grace bring change, and beholding Him brings transformation.

If I am unwilling to apply what I teach to myself and allow myself to be held accountable for what I teach, then I am behaving as a hypocrite.  I do not desire to behave as a hypocrite, and that leads me to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in owning the truth He reveals to me regarding Christ and His ways.  I desire to move beyond the information stage to the practice stage, where a real disciple of Jesus is made.  That way, when I speak to others, I am speaking as a disciple, friend, and brother in Christ, not a holier than thou pharisaical do-gooder.  To me, this is real holiness expressed.  Hypocrisy is the opposite of true holiness.

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Disciple

Disciples are predestined to be conformed.  It is built into our spiritual DNA when we are born again!

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

This work of conformity is ongoing. It will continue as long as we draw a breath on this earth.

2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Disciples desire to see Jesus, encounter Him, and engage with Him with purpose. The purpose is to become more and more like Him. The value of seeking Him and seeing Him is the yearning to be transformed into the same image, which results in ever-increasing glory.  This work requires the help of the Holy Spirit.

Valuing rooted in love is powerful.  Without love-based values, we remain stuck in our usual routines and patterns. Rules and regulations cannot change a person.  They can inform a person, but they cannot change them. Just having information that you agree with does not change you.  It must become a value that is rooted in love in order to move you to be willing to embrace change.  Until you are convinced in your soul that change is the way for you to express your love and, therefore, it is of utmost importance to you to do so, you will not even begin the process of transformation.

I have seen men so in love with a certain car that they would work more hours, sell certain things less important to them, and spend hours making sure they found that car and could purchase it. Once they get that car, they spend money and time doing things to it; they maintain and care for it; why? Because they love that car.

Love is the greatest motivator in all of the universe!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God placed a value on you out of love, and it moved Him to give His most precious thing, His own Son!  This is the reason love is activated in the life of a disciple.

1John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

God is the great initiator because God is love.  Because God is love, this world and mankind were created by Him with a purpose.  When we are given a revelation from the Holy Spirit about His love for us, we are moved to do something about it.  That begins with believing in Jesus for salvation and a new life.  That moves us to follow Jesus by learning who He is and what He likes so that we can adjust to Him out of love for Him because He first loved us.  This is a disciple!

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Discipleship Lifestyle

I know a lot about the likes and dislikes of my wife, Sheila, and I can claim that my knowledge concerning her is proof of my knowing her and loving her. But is it really?

If my knowledge does not empower me to embrace who she is and respect her desires, then I will not be empowered to express my love to her.  For example, I may learn that she loves a certain color on the walls of a room in our house, but even though I possess the knowledge, if I go in and paint the walls a color she dislikes, have I communicated love to her?  If I disregard what really matters to her, knowing she feels very strongly about it, am I expressing my love for her?

If she were to plant a bed of flowers in our yard because they bring her great joy and satisfaction, and I observed her happiness with them, what if I went out one day and mowed in a hurry and just cut down her flowers?  Would I be expressing love to her?

Love is not about speaking words we’ve been taught to say.  It is not about songs that move us emotionally in a moment.  It’s not about warm and fuzzy feelings.  Love will always call for action.  Jesus knew this better than anyone, and that is why He said the following,

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

When we see a word like commandments we can get tripped up.  But what if we brought this statement forward into the way we talk today?

“If you love me, you will not just hear what I am saying; you will listen closely and embrace my values as your own, which will empower you to make choices and take action in step with what they are.”

True Biblical repentance is not merely changing your mind to agree with something you are incapable of arguing against.  It is changing your mind but it also involves an action.

Without action, it is not Biblical repentance.  It is a mental agreement.  Jesus never said to go and make converts who cannot argue with the truth and will agree but are never transformed.  Jesus said, Mt 28:18-20

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Disciples walk in real repentance as a way of life because they are constantly seeking to know Jesus’ ways so they can adopt them as their own.  Disciples who love Jesus are not merely interested in knowledge for the sake of knowledge.  Their desire to know is rooted in a desire to conform to His image.  His image is not His physical appearance.  His image is His desires and actions, the things He cares about most.  Love moves us to admire, respect, and imitate Jesus according to who He is and how He acts.

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Not Of This World

Whenever I travel, I am keenly aware that I am away from my home.  My awareness is possible because of the change in culture I witnessed.  There is a certain flow, a certain way, even a particular language that occurs in the culture of my home area.

I remember visiting Detroit many years ago and going to a place to order some food. When it was my turn, I communicated as clearly as I knew how what I desired for a meal. The girl behind the counter asked me to repeat my order, and I did.  She then asked to wait a moment and left the counter.  She returned with a young man.  She then asked me to repeat once more what I wished to order.  I responded by telling her I had already given her my order twice, so why would she ask me again?  She said, I just wanted him to hear it.  Then they asked me where I was from, and I told them.  It appeared my accent was quite odd to them.  We all used the English language, but in Detroit, my use of it had a particular accent based on where I am from that was markedly different from the one they had in Detroit.

In other words, whenever I am away from my actual home, I stand out; it is not difficult for others to recognize I am not from around their parts.  I was raised in east Tennessee and, therefore, immersed in the culture and language of it.  It is obvious to those who are not from that area.

Jesus prayed a very important prayer right before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane and then on to the cross.  We find it in John 17

John 17:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Believers are not of this world. In fact, they are created in Christ to be so different from this world and its culture that they stand out—just as I stand out whenever I travel.  If our making it to heaven was the only reason Jesus gave His life, then what He prays in verse 15 was an exercise in futility and uselessness.  He didn’t ask that we be taken out of this world as soon as we believe in Him, but He did ask that we be kept from the evil one.  Why?  He knows that the more we stand out, the more identifiable we become and that the enemy will desire to target us as a result.

We are not of this world, just as Jesus was not of this world.  When I travel, I usually do so with a purpose in mind.  Once that purpose is accomplished I am ready to return home.  That is how it was with Jesus.  That is how it is to be with His followers.  That is why Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified by the truth.  Not just any truth.  Jesus said to the Father, Your word is truth.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The truth we are sanctified by is Jesus.  Jesus is the truth.  It is His life given to us that sets us apart from all else in this world, and the more we are transformed into His image from beholding Him, the less like this world we become.  He rearranges all the things that are important to us in this life by giving us His desires and instilling in us what it is He values most.  It is true that I look forward to when I get home, but in the meantime, I more purposefully want others to see Jesus in how I live my life.  A man surrendered to the purpose he’s been given by His Father and submitted to the Holy Spirit just as Jesus was.  I know this will mark me as being different in this world, and as such, there will be those who aren’t pleased with me for it.  But I would much rather be in unity with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) than to be well-liked and in unity with this world.  I am not of this world.

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Bad Day?

Have you ever had one of those days you wish you could just get a do-over for? I mean, a day where everything seems to be going wrong?

In the book of Acts Chapter 28 in the Bible, the Apostle Paul had been arrested and was being taken to Rome.  On the way, however, the ship encountered a terrible storm and was to be shipwrecked.  When all the men aboard the ship made it to the island they were shipwrecked near, they were welcomed by those living there.  The islanders had made a fire for them because it was raining, and Paul and the others were cold and wet.

Paul had gathered some wood to throw on the fire, and when he went to put it on, a viper came out of the woodpile and latched on to Paul’s hand. Paul simply shook off the snake into the fire and went about his business. The islanders began to think that Paul must have been a really bad man for this to happen, and they waited for him to either swell up or fall dead.  They imagined Paul was getting justice even though it might have appeared he had escaped it.  But remember, Paul simply shook off the snake into the fire.  Paul wasn’t letting the day, the circumstances, the rain and the cold, or the opinion of those who were misguided get to him.  Not even the snake that should have been the last straw couldn’t get to him.

I mean, having been arrested for no good reason, made to get on a ship that you warned both the guard and the captain about sailing in at that time, and then being caught in a bad storm for days until shipwrecked on an island and then being snake bit.  I would call that a bad day.  It appears Paul saw it as an opportunity.

I think because Paul was not overcome by what was happening to him, he was able to be available to the Holy Spirit for whatever He might wish to do to bring these islanders to Jesus in faith.

Acts 28:7 In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9 So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.

Paul’s walking in the fruit of the Spirit, even when in the natural, there seemed to be sufficient justification for him to get all negative and complaining, set him up for divine opportunities.

Here is the leading citizen’s father lying sick with fever and dysentery, which in those times could be a death sentence. However, Paul is not so caught up in himself that he cannot be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  Paul is ready to be a blessing to someone else despite the horrible circumstances he has been forced to endure unjustly at the hands of others.

Paul went in and prayed and laid his hands on the man, and the man was healed! So obvious a manifestation of healing was this that the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.  Paul seems to be moving among these people the way Jesus did among the Jews.

Bad days can become opportunities for those who are in tune with the Spirit and refuse to let themselves become victims of their circumstances to the point that they surrender their attitude to that of dejection rather than victory.  Walking in the Spirit is for every situation we face, not just the ideal days that go well.  Are you sure you’re having a bad day?

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Shaken

Have you ever heard someone say, “It shook me to my core?”

How about, “I was shaken by it?”

This is a way of describing someone who is emotionally or physically disturbed by something that took place.  This kind of thing can challenge a person’s confidence and resolve.

Being shaken can occur when certain expectations that were built on a set of beliefs are challenged in a way that seems to indicate an impossibility of the expectations being fulfilled.

It can happen when someone believes something about a person only to find out that what they believed has been proven to be wrong.

Such events can have an impact on our mental state, and when they do, it means we are shaken.

This kind of thing can occur many times over in a person’s life.  So what can be done to defend against such shakings?

There’s an interesting quote remembered in Acts that speaks to this.  Peter, in referencing the execution of Jesus and the potential for disappointment and shaking that it could produce, said,

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:

“I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.  28 You have made known to me the ways of life;  You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

Whenever I am on a beach, I like to find a reference point to look to because when you’re in the water, the current tends to move you away from your starting point.  This can be a lifeguard tower or some other fixed-position item that stands out to me.  By having such a reference, I know when I am getting away from where I should be.

For Jesus, this practice was also true.  According to this prophetic psalm concerning Jesus, He kept the Lord before His face.  He observed the fixed position of the Lord as being at His right hand.  Why did He do this?  So that He might not be shaken.

Jesus would be made to suffer horribly, and in such a manner, it could cause the strongest of men to question who they are, what they’ve done, whether it was worth it, and so on.   But Jesus remained steadfast in His resolve and His knowing.  He wasn’t shaken.  He was so fixed on the Lord and His promises to Him that even His flesh rested in hope.  He endured the cross by way of having a fixed position in the Lord.  One aspect of His great hope was the fact that He had a promise that He would be made full of joy in the presence of God.

Have you become aware of the promise of His presence so much that it produces great hope in you? Have you become convinced that His presence is always with you to the point that whatever happens to you, you can still experience joy because of His presence with you? Do you know the ways of life as He shows them? If you do, you will not be shaken.  You’ll live prepared for whatever may come your way, knowing with confidence that He will never leave you, nor will He ever forsake you. The hope of the promise of His presence is key to not being shaken in life.

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Confident Knowing

My previous devotional sharing was about Get Behind Me and dealt with how Peter spoke from the flesh to Jesus and how others spoke to Paul similarly.  Both instances had good motivational meanings but were rooted in a natural understanding of things instead of the spiritual.

I want to encourage us today by describing how Jesus and Paul avoided being swept up in what was spoken to them.  Jesus clarified that Peter had allowed himself to be used by the enemy when he spoke.  Jesus also made it clear why it was off base.

Matthew 16:21  From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”  23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Notice the accurate assessment of Jesus regarding the motivation of Satan.  “You are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

It was incumbent on Jesus to have discernment rooted in His certainty of God’s will for Him. Because He was so in tune with God’s will, He could easily discern that these words were from the enemy and rooted in the flesh.

The same was true for Paul.

Acts 21:12  Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul was ready to suffer whatever came his way because of the word he received when Jesus first called him.

Acts 9:15   But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Paul knew he was appointed to suffer things in Jesus’ name as he preached the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. He expected such things and had accepted them as part of his mission and calling. He perceived it as part of how he was to glorify Jesus and make Him known.

Because of how confident Paul was of this, he could easily resist the sentiment of friends desiring that he avoid such suffering. Paul knew God’s will for his life, which equipped him with discernment to know when and what to resist. By confidently knowing God’s will for your life, you are most equipped to discern what to say yes to and what to say no to. A confident knowing is to any believer’s advantage.

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Get Behind Me

In the Bible, the Gospels record how Peter rebuked Jesus when Jesus spoke of how He would die.  When Peter spoke this, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan, because you are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of man.”  Mt 16:23, Mk 8:33

It is possible to think you are helping someone when speaking to them because you are very aware of the cost they face in the natural over something.  Thus, you seek to persuade them not to do what they should do.  If they are following the will of God, for you to speak according to natural reasoning, it is to be like Peter was with Jesus.

Acts 21:10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” 12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

In this case, the prophet Agabus accurately spoke what the Holy Spirit showed him. The others were moved by their emotions and natural reasoning. Agabus was moved by the Spirit in prophecy.

It is not prophecy to use one’s natural reasoning and powers of deduction to speak to another believer in Jesus.

Like Peter, doing so can open the door for the enemy to attempt to persuade someone not to follow God’s will for them. You may mean well because you love the person; thus, your motives are well-intentioned as far as you can know them.  But it could be going against what God has already clearly shown them.

I do not think Peter was determined to be used by the enemy with Jesus.  I am sure the others present when Agabus came to Philipps house to see Paul had no intention of persuading Paul against the will of God.  Thankfully, in Paul’s case, the others finally ceased.

Acts 21:14   So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

Notice that this phrase, “the Lord’s will be done,” did not refer to whether or not Paul might get well from a sickness.  It was about the will of God for Paul’s determined direction.

It is not trite to speak to someone about what they believe is the will of God for them. That’s why it’s not advisable to insert your idea of the will of God for them.

To avoid a “Get behind me” scenario, make sure it is the Holy Spirit moving you and not your powers of reasoning in the natural. Don’t be a “Get behind me” person.

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Know Him

Each evening before bed, my wife Sheila and I pray.  I always request that the Lord give us good dreams and that He will use them to grant us revelation of Himself.  We pray about many things, of course, but I strongly believe our spirit never needs sleep and can, therefore, commune with God and that such communion can have a positive effect on our souls through our subconscious.

It might sound a bit mystical to some, but I assure you that many relationship revelations have come to me in my sleep.  Just this morning, as I was nearing awakening, I was dreaming about pondering the way of the Father and the matter of Paul’s desire to know Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings.

Somewhere between AD 60 - 62, Paul, in Scripture in Philippians 3:8-11, spoke of how he had counted all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord.  Then he goes on to speak of how he had suffered the loss of all things and counted them as rubbish, that he might gain Christ and be found in Him, not having his own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that he might know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, he might attain to the resurrection from the dead.

This matter of knowing Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings has intrigued many, and I have heard many different takes on it.

As I was dreaming, I thought of how absurd it would be to think of a Father looking at his son and saying, “If you really want to know me, son, you need to experience something.” In my dream, the father then took his son to be infected with a horrible illness, looked at him in that illness, and said, “This will help you know me better.”  In my dream, I saw this as foolish.

It then came to my mind that Jesus was never sick in His earthly body that we have any record of.  Yet almost every take I have heard over the years regarding knowing Christ according to His sufferings has involved the idea of sickness being something God uses to reveal Himself to us at some deeper level.  Yet there’s not one place in all of the Bible that teaches us that one of the traits of God is sickness, nor does it teach that He has ever experienced sickness or that He had anything to do with the existence of sickness on this earth.  One of God’s names is Jehovah Rapha meaning the God who heals.

When Paul speaks of knowing Christ according to His sufferings in Philippians, he speaks of how Christ had given up everything to do His Father’s will and come to this earth to reconcile us and how Christ humbled Himself even to the point of death on the cross.   Paul had just spoken of how he had counted all things lost.  The things he had counted lost were things that he, as a man, could have boasted in foolishly as though they merited the favor of God for him.  Being conformed to the death of Christ is a matter of being willing to even die with the same attitude as Christ.  “Nevertheless, Lord, not my will, but Your will be done.”  Jesus suffered in Gethsemene even to the point of sweating drops of blood to reach that place of being reconciled to the will of the Father to die on the cross.  Paul was getting nearer to his death and had suffered other things like a shipwreck, prison, being bitten by a viper, being stoned, whipped, and falsely accused, but he hadn’t yet faced the finality of death.  He was in prison and would face the loss of his head in AD 64, just a short time after he penned this letter to the Philippians.  He knew his death was close at hand for certain this time.

The quest of Paul was to know Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death.

This man knew Christ well, and here he is about to complete his journey of fellowship with Jesus on this earth.  This is not a sickness passage!  It is a reconciliation to God’s will for my life, even to the point of my death, from the place of fellowship with Christ’s passage!  It is a knowing His goodness passage to the extent that powerful enabling grace walks me through the valley of the shadow of death without any fear of evil because I know He is with me!  Oh, that I might know Him!

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Compromise

Compromise is the acceptance of standards that are lower than is desirable.

It could just as easily be defined as settling for less than what has been set as the standard.

When the word compromise is often used among believers, someone might think of a person giving in to sin.  It is usually the kind of sin defined in Scripture by the law or described by Paul in his letters to the Corinthians or Ephesians.

Yielding to sin is indeed a form of compromise.  My question is, is it the only form of compromise in Scripture?

Suppose a young person felt called to a specific sport, and that was all they talked about and began the difficult journey of training for. However, they later began pursuing other things, which cut into their time to train for what they said was most important to them. Would you consider that to be a compromise?

In the Scriptures, the apostle Paul identified a compromise and wrote a letter to churches in a region to correct it.  It must have been a super serious compromise for the Holy Spirit to move Paul as He did to write the letter and say what he said in it.

Galatians 1:6   I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

In this case, the compromise involved three parts: first, listening to the wrong gospel; second, agreeing, at least in part, with that wrong gospel; and third, the effect such an acceptance had on their behavior.

When the gospel’s grace is treated as insufficient, that is a perversion of the real gospel. When Christ alone is set aside for other things that appeal to self-achievement and set up attitudes of superiority and comparison among believers, that compromises the real gospel.

Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Under the New Covenant, the work of Christ on our behalf is magnified and elevated, and it holds the place of greatest importance.  We do not put our trust in anything other than His obedience on our behalf to bring us boldly before the throne of grace.  Our confidence for the removal of sin is His blood, our hope of forgiveness is in His death at the cross, and our release from bandage is purchased by His blood and secured when He nailed the handwriting and ordinances against us to His cross, forever removing them.

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Not walking in the freedom Christ purchased for us at the cross is a compromise—the most serious and grievous compromise of them all. It starts with who we listen to and agree with. A little leaven will leaven the whole lump. I strongly encourage you not to give in to compromise.

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No Longer The Same

If I told you that God does not look at human beings according to their race, lineage, or geography, would you be offended?

Prejudice is generally born from an over-identification and preoccupation with such things.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took these issues out of the way, along with another even larger issue that caused division among people.

In the natural, we tend to notice people based on what we see. God only sees two kinds of people on this earth: those who are His by the new birth in Christ and those who are not because they have not yet believed in Jesus and been born again or have refused to believe and rejected the message of life and hope in Christ.

God sees past our outer frame, which the Bible calls this earthly tent, to the core of who we are. He knows whether or not we have truly come to know Jesus Christ. God knows what true transformation looks like because it creates a heaven-born new species.

During the time of the law, a great prejudice existed on this earth.  Jews were considered to be the qualified race, and all other races were outside that place of being special and favored.  It was the Law that created this separation.  Through the eyes of those under the law, there were only Jews and Gentiles on the earth.  Jews were special, and all others were not.  This created a hostility between the two groups.

But when Jesus came, something amazing happened.

Ephesians 2:14 For He (Jesus) Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

True New Covenant understanding annihilates racism and prejudice because anyone who becomes a New Creation knows they did not earn it. They do not possess it through special privilege based on their race, social status, level of intellect, geography of their birthplace, or anything else.

I hope that the primary thing that leaps out of that passage from Ephesians straight into your heart and understanding by way of revelation is this:  “setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations.”   I hope you were profoundly impacted by the second thing: “Create in Himself one new humanity out of the two.”

Jesus took away the very thing at the division’s center.  By doing so, we now see people, regardless of skin color or natural origin, as potential brothers and sisters based on believing the gospel, confessing Jesus as Lord, and thus becoming born again.  One New Man in Christ!  We are truly no longer the same as we were before we came to know Him!  We become one in Him.

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Kingdom Good News

Have you ever wondered what the phrase “gospel of the kingdom” means when you read it in the gospels?

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Matthew 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

The Gospel of the Kingdom means the good news of the kingdom. That wouldn’t carry any weight without demonstrating why it is considered good news. Jesus demonstrated that it was good news by healing all kinds of sicknesses and diseases among the people.

We have millions crossing our border because they have been told things are way better in the United States than where they come from. There is an appeal to a better kingdom than the one a person is currently part of.

To preach the good news of the kingdom, there needs to be a reason why it is good news.  Jesus demonstrated why the kingdom was good news every time he healed the sick, cured a disease, cast out a demon, raised the dead, or did one of the many miracles He performed.  Jesus never preached a powerless gospel.

When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples in Matthew 10, He told them to do as He had done.  They were to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons.

For those who have been told this type of ministry was just for Jesus’s original apostles, the twelve, Jesus later sent out seventy in Luke 10. They, too, were told to heal the sick and tell them the kingdom had come near to them.

The Kingdom has a culture. The culture of the United States is very different from other cultures. Kingdom culture is very different from all other cultures anywhere.  There are benefits to being part of the kingdom of God.  When one is born again, they become part of the kingdom as a new creation.

Some try to say this kind of supernatural ministry died with the first apostles.  Others would even say it died when the Bible was made.  Jesus said something about believers that should cause anyone to reconsider such statements as being in error.

Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

If such supernatural works ended, would that mean there would be no more believers?

Concerning the gospel of the kingdom, which we have already seen is to be demonstrated when preached, Jesus said,

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Scripture’s language supports the idea of a supernatural church until the end of time because those who believe in Jesus have signs following them and continue to bring kingdom good news to others.

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