The Gospel Truth [Re-sharing Previous Facebook note]

God does not NEED anyone or anything but DESIRES, no longs for, relationship with us, His created ones. We can become His children but only in His way. He made man and woman to be together according to His plan called marriage, so that they could be fruitful and multiply. Since the original man and woman disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden, it is no longer possible for sinful man (all humans) to be in direct relationship with Holy God. Sin separates man from God. Therefore, man now needs a Mediator....and there is only ONE Person who qualifies. His name is Jesus Christ and He is the only Son of God. No one else qualifies because everyone else but Christ has sin. He was born of a virgin (mothered), not from the seed of a human man. God Himself by His Spirit impregnated her supernaturally. Yet Jesus walked this earth as 100% man though He was 100% God. 

That is hard to understand. But it’s important to note that He chose to walk the earth as 100% man, yet He did not sin. The Bible says He was tempted in every way that we are tempted...but without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) If He had sinned, He would have disqualified Himself from being that perfect sacrifice and therefore the only possible Mediator between man and God. So to recap, we need a Mediator because currently we cannot be in direct relationship with God because He is holy and we have sin that has passed down to us from our fore parents Adam and Eve. God never made man and man nor woman and woman to be together. So that point is not open to alternative interpretations. The basic fact is two men or two women would be puzzle pieces that do not fit. 

And because God is the Creator and we are the creation, He gets to determine HOW we come to Him and our CONDUCT before Him. He has decided that is it only through the perfect sacrifice of the Perfect One....Jesus Christ. There is NO OTHER WAY to God. Someone recently told me there are about 1700 religions in the U.S. alone. That's a staggering figure. But I am really not speaking about religion here. This is about relationship with Almighty God. Everyone has to ask himself the question: Do I want to take a gamble on eternity. And we all get to decide while here on earth whether we live in heaven or hell for eternity. These are the only two possible eternal addresses: Heaven or Hell. 

So God made the man and woman to be together and to be fruitful and multiply. He made only one way to be in relationship with Him while here on earth and that is through the Person of Jesus Christ. God's the Boss and that's His plan. Can the creation say to its creator, I don’t like your ways, so I’ll choose my own? No, the creation is subject to the rules of the creator. Similarly, God’s ways and means are His because He knows best. And although we can choose whether to follow our own ways or His, only following His ways will bring eternal success. Using our own ways that are contrary to His will bring dire consequences. Everyone MUST make a decision. And not making a decision for Christ is actually making a decision to reject God. 

What's the big deal you ask? Well, you are taking an unnecessary risk with your eternal life. And the decision has to be made while still on earth before death. Did someone tell you there is no God? Do you really believe that? Really? Do you really want to take that chance? Maybe your mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin or some other relative is a believer in the only Way to God through Christ and you think that's close enough. Unfortunately, belief in Christ by proxy (through another person) is also rejecting Christ and therefore rejecting God. It's not possible to be saved from a life without God by another mediator. Christ is the only Mediator, not grandma. But I thank God for mothers and grandmothers who pray for their relatives to become children of God for themselves. I have my mother to thank for that. It is very important to have family members who pray for you, but it will not be enough to save you. 

You may have faith in Christ but you don't want to go to church because you don't believe in ORGANIZE religion or be with a bunch of hypocrites. Well God does not give you a choice of how to serve Him. Let's face it, you are imperfect and churches made up of people are just like you....IMPERFECT. It's crucial to be part of a body of believers so that you can grow, learn and be protected from unnecessary error. Besides, no person is an island , we need to be around those who would encourage, build us up, pray for us and listen to our woes and the best part is in enjoying God's presence together. I am convinced that there some things God will only do when the Body of believers are together in one accord. Even God chose not to be alone in the universe, and He said of the man, Adam, that he should not be alone. That’s why He created Eve. Christ Himself had twelve best friends whom He taught the ways of God. 

We are the same. We need to live, work and worship in community. That’s not a choice but a must. A person without Christian friends with whom he can communicate honestly and openly and be in accountability is in grave danger of falling away even if they are still physically going to church. In many ways, falling away from Christ in your heart is more dangerous than not going to church because you can be lulled into thinking all is well. But in other ways, when you are in church there is at least a chance you will be jolted back into right alignment with God. So if you are not in a church, find a good full-Bible believing church where you are loved and get the true Word of God and plug in there. It should be as local as possible so that you can serve in some capacity. 

And I know many people like to avoid the subject of the devil but that is foolish. Ignoring your enemy has never been a way to win a battle or even a war. We are to keep our eyes on the Lord and our mind on things that are good and peaceable (Philippians 4:8) but be mindful of our adversary the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion to see whom he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8) He devours believers by trying to destroy relationship with God and fellow believers. He comes to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). So we must be vigilant. And a major tactic the devil uses is to cause offense among believers, especially in churches. This not only destroys relationship with man but also with God. It also hampers our growth in Christ. I have to watch out for this all the time. So beware. You have an adversary. Who do you think is behind atheism and agnosticism, humanism, intellectualism and every other God-fewer isms? It’s the devil. But the bad news is the devil has the power over man ONLY because man has given it to him and in not believing in Christ. The Good News (GOSPEL ) is, that it’s all reversible by accepting and following Christ. 

The thing about truth is that it really doesn't matter whether you believe it. Although it’s good to believe it, it makes us free from the burden of sin. To know truth, we must know the One who personifies Truth and that is Jesus Christ. Truth is neither subject to, nor contingent upon your belief. It just IS. Jesus said it best; He said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to be Father but by Me." John 14:6. No one can have access to God except through Jesus Christ. So just as God does not NEED anyone or anything, He does not NEED us to believe but without that belief in the Way named Jesus Christ there is no access to God. So praying to God without access through Christ is similar to a person without relationship with the president showing up at the White House and seeking a meeting with him. On the other hand, Michelle, Malia or Sasha would have practically unlimited access to him. And I am sure that’s especially true when they NEED Him. He knows them but he does not know you. 

In this same way, God knows us through our relationship with Jesus Christ but without Jesus Christ He does not know us as one of His own. No Christ, no access to God. Know Christ, have access to God. Does God show grace toward all of His creation? Yes. As long as you are breathing, you are experiencing that grace. Without relationship with Him through Christ there is no guarantee of the answered call, or welcome upon an unexpected visit to His throne. Hebrews 4:16 tells me that I can “Come boldly before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in my time of need.” That’s a guarantee that is only available through my relationship with Christ. God recognizes Sonia when I call, not because I’m is so wonderful but because I have a relationship with Him through my relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Isn’t it interesting that we have a choice to be His even though He made us. Of course, He knows everything about us. That’s why it’s ridiculous to stay away from God because of what you’ve done, no matter how bad you think it is. He already knows everything and loves you anyway. Just as He knew all of the things I’d done and loves me in a way that I still find quite daunting. He is the King above all other Kings and He is my Father. That just boggles my mind. 

God is good and God is love. Who wouldn't want to be closely connected to Someone who is always good and is Love personified? Maybe those of us in the Church have not been recognized for His love for each other and for our fellow human beings. It should be more obvious and I repent for all the times when I have been less than loving to my fellow believer sand my fellow human beings. 

But if you tell me that you know God but not in an emotional or experiential way, or that you went to seminary, have a million theological degrees and yet have no spiritual revelation of His love, I would doubt that you know Him at all or at most that you have intellectual knowledge of Him. But how is that valid Christianity that has keeping power, or the power to change, deliver or heal someone? Jesus tells the parable of the seeds that were planted in different places and only that which was sown in good ground, not the stony or thorny ground, where there can be no good development of deep roots. These areas which are inadequate for good planting and development makes it too easy for the enemy of our soul to come along and to steal the seed of the Word of God. Lacking that true relationship is like having an initial meeting with Christ and but not letting Him empower you to do the work you are called to do as His child. It’s like having a coat and instead of wearing it your keep it thrown over your arm. 

To be effective ministers of the Gospel we must “WEAR” Him. Short of that, we are being satisfied with just a down payment when the whole purchase price is being made available to you and you did not even have to provide the purchase price: salvation from sin, death and hell. Christ’s death on the Cross has purchased your salvation (access to God and the cleansing power of the blood of Christ) as well as the baptism of His Spirit (access to His power to do what He tells us to). It bought both, but most Christians are satisfied with knowledge because it makes them feel important and therefore, the down payment of the Holy Spirit Who comes to live on the inside of us to change us into the image of Christ, but forgetting that it’s also absolutely necessary to walk in the power of that salvation by also seeking and accepting His offer of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To try to help the world where there is such hopelessness and despair with only the deposit without taking hold of all that God is offering is dangerous and foolish. It’s being satisfied with a lack of power which is needed for a true witness of the power of God to change lives as we try to EXPLAIN to the world about who Jesus is. Why should anyone believe explanation without the demonstration? 

Many people won’t believe that Christ is real unless you can SHOW them that Christ IS real. As the Body of Christ, His representatives on earth, we’re it. We need to be healing and setting the captives free as He empowers us. Why should they give up their witch doctor who can demonstrate a degree of demonic power when we can’t even demonstrate the power of God whose power so far surpasses that of the enemy’s that there no comparison. We have to stop believing the devil’s lies and start believing Jesus. He said we would do more miracles than He did because He was going to the Father. That we should heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, set the demonized free. The fact that He said that we’d do more is because the list above is not exhaustive but inclusive. 

Summing this simple message all up...God made us all and loves us all exactly the same. He loves you so much He allows you to make the choice not to love Him back and to choose not to be with Him for eternity. His desire is that everyone would choose Him, but unlike despotic individuals and governments, He would never FORCE His will upon you. Love never forces, tries to control or manipulate. But love does correct an errant child. God is also holy and cannot abide with sin. He must judge sin. People hate to hear that but it's the truth. The wonderful thing about God is that He is also merciful and chooses mercy over judgment whenever and wherever possible. God is also righteous and to be righteous before Him we must be in right standing with Christ. Our sins need to be confessed to Him and repented of sincerely. Righteousness before God relies completely on our relationship with Christ. It is the shed blood of Christ that makes us spotless without sin. He has been the atonement for our sin. Our righteousness, holiness and sanctification before God is based solely on what Christ did but for that to be maintained we cannot live a life of habitual and purposeful sin. Thank God that He sees us through “BLOOD” colored glasses when we follow in Christ.

Okay, so you believe but you are worried that you are still not perfect. Well, take your walk with Christ a day at a time and do what He tells you to do. It is when you do the will of God you are being perfect. When you obey what He has already laid out in His word and what He is speaking to you in your heart you are being perfect as He intends us to be. People get all bent out of shape about the 10 Commandments but we so often fail to realize that Jesus summed them all up in 2 Commandments: Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. If you love God, you will do as He says. By the way that is the way to PROVE your love for God, not by mere words. Love moves us to action and so does faith. Faith and love must exist together and you cannot have one without the other. So if you love God you will obey Him and if you love everyone else as much as you do yourself, then none of the other Commandments are necessary. That means, if you love everyone else as you love yourself, you would not kill, steal, lie, cheat or those things that you would not do against yourself.

To conclude this note, I will say this that Love captured my heart because even after I became a Christian I had no revelation of His love until I asked Him to teach me how to love Him which is necessary for knowing how to love others. I had a blockage that only He could remove. I am still learning and will be for all of my life. I am writing here because I am motivated to tell others about Christ and His work in me. Why? Because He is coming back soon to put things to right here on earth (even if it’s 50 years from now, it’s soon compared to eternity) or you may meet Him before His return to earth. Either way, you and me (everyone on earth past, present and future) will all have to explain our lives and what we’ve done with the truth and with the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the only Mediator. Every individual will be subject to this. No one is exempt and no one can hide under another person, religion or government. At the point when we have to give that account either upon Christ’s return or in death, it will be too late to change anything. And it will be too late to accept salvation through relationship with Christ . Today is the day to get right with God. He has been waiting with open arms for you….all of your life. 

(Please write me if you need Scripture citations)

Excerpt From mini-book "A Table Narrative of the Seven Churches of Revelation"

Purchase full book of "A Table Narrative of the Seven Churches of Revelation" and other publications on Amazon at Auriol Sonia Morris' Author Page

CHAPTER ONE

EPHESUS:

THE LOVELESS CHURCH

Scripture

Revelation 2:1-7.

The Loveless Church

2 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 

² “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 

³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 

⁴ Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 

⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 

⁶ But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

Please note:

The word “angel” referring to the recipients of John’s letters is the word for messenger, which was the head bishop or pastor of the church. There would be no need to write a letter to a spirit, the most common use of the word.

Church

Ephesus

Characterization

Loveless

Christ Appears as …

He Who holds the 7 stars in His right hand, Who walks in the midst of the 7 golden lampstands

Credits

works, labor, patience, cannot bear those who are evil, have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, have found them liars; have persevered, have patience, have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Charges

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Remedies 

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Risks

Or else I will come quickly and remove the lampstand from its place – unless you repent.

Rewards

To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the Tree of Life in midst of Paradise of God

Observation and Lesson:

From the initial glowing report this church received from Jesus Christ, one could scarcely imagine what would come next. They engage in some very good work and clearly at a very high level to recognize lying apostles. But when Jesus follows this glowing report with “Nevertheless,…” it’s as if all they had on the credit side of their spiritual balance sheet was about to be wiped away completely. What was their “crime?” They “forgot their First Love.”

So we understand from the Scripture that the people of the church at Ephesus got so caught up in the works, which they clearly did well, but forgot the One for Whom there were doing them. Forgetting your “first works?” What are the “first works?” The Scripture does not say exactly but we can glean this from Scripture when Jesus gave us the Greatest and Second Greatest Commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.. They had lost sight of love, the reason for the existence of the Church, which is to demonstrate God’s love and to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Without this love connection to God, the church was like a ship without a rudder. How could they know His desires and direction when they had left Him behind? And how could they love those God had entrusted to them without loving Him first and foremost? He personifies love so, everything flows out of that place. Without love, what is left? The work. But then, not even the first work. Sometimes it so much easier to throw oneself into a comfortable routine; perhaps focusing on the needs of people, the world around them, and whatever seemed good to do.

But they were so focused on the tasks that they left the Lord of the tasks behind. The works may mimic a love relationship but it’s a façade without the Object of that love. Oh, it’s impressive. The "such and such church is involved in every and anything but not by the will of God because they neither have a connection to Him nor His will."

Where there is no love, there is no life. So this loveless church is therefore also, lifeless. That’s the reason the reward given to those who follow His remedy to repent, will be to eat from the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God.

That brings us to the ones who do not repent. The implication here is that to disobey God and refuse to repent is to not enter into the Paradise of God and to not eat from the Tree of Life.

The key here is to beware of being involved in too many tasks so as to forget the primary purpose of walking this walk of faith. That purpose is intimate relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, facilitated by the Holy Spirit, Who keeps us connected to the Godhead.

The Gospel in one sentence: The Father sent His Son to redeem us from our lost condition and broken fellowship with God by His sacrificial death on a Roman cross; once the Son returned to the Father in heaven, He asked Him to send the Holy Spirit that we might be in constant contact with Him as He leads us into all truth and empowers us to do His will.

Purchase full book of "A Table Narrative of the Seven Churches of Revelation" and other publications on Amazon at Auriol Sonia Morris' Author Page

Why did Jesus Respond the Way He Did When His Family Came to See Him?

Why did Jesus not go to His family when they sent for Him? And why did He respond as He did to their visit? These are great questions and ones that I will tackle in this blog post. The nerve, you say! Hang on, I believe what the Lord shared around this same time in His Word really answers these questions for us, although somewhat indirectly. He truly experienced everything that we do even though His family and followers knew He was the Son of God.. Remember, He never minced or wasted words, and I believe everything He said then and says now is to encourage us that whatever we face, He faced first and He had it worst.

Three Scriptures give us clues as to reasons for His response when He was told His family had came to see Him and wanted Him to come to them. We are not told whether He went to them eventually, but He certainly did not drop what He was doing to obey their summons. Instead, He used it as a teachable moment. Jesus told us in several Scriptures what might have been the scenario to explain His response to His followers about his visiting relatives..

First, He told us what type of response to our calling we might expect from our families:
"A prophet is not without honor but in his own home." This same statement was made in three somewhat different ways but with the same meaning. People who are familiar with you have a difficult time recognizing you for who you are in Christ, especially regarding His equipping and giftings to do His bidding. Let's look at these accounts.

In Matthew 13:57, 

"So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”

In Mark 6:4, 

"But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

John 4:44

"For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country."

Second, and in connection to the first point, we see that, "He could not do many miracles there but healed a few sick people." This was in His Home town. We are told their level of unbelief was so great that miracles did not flow in that atmosphere. Here is the account in Mark 6:1-6.

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. ² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”  ⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

You've heard it said, "familiarity breeds contempt." People are offended when they perceive that you are trying to hold yourself out as special. The contempt comes from that offense. They are offended that you think you're special. This offense is quite blinding because if they were to stop and submit to God, then they would realize that they, too, are special. That is by God's design. Everyone of us is a unique version of ourselves. Not even the most identical of identical twins are exactly identical. We each have our own unique set of finger prints, tongue print (yes, I said, tongue), eyes, body shape, and the list goes on. And that's before we include the spiritual gifts each person received from God that are unique to them. The point is, there ought not be any competition among us. Jealousy is a device of the evil one to bring disunity. We should rejoice when people are yielded to God in using all of who they are to glorify Him, and to expand His Kingdom.


Third, and this is our focus, in Matthew 12, Jesus was busy ministering God's Word when His earthly family came to visit Him so they requested that He come to them at the gate. His response was shocking to say the least, especially to moms. Here is the account in Matthew:

Matthew 12:46-50

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  ⁴⁷ Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”              48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”  ⁴⁹ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!  ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

And in Mark:

Mark 3:31-35

31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  ³² And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”   33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?”   ³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

Note His response: "Who is my mother, my brother, and my sister, but those who do the will of God." This is what the Lord quickened to me recently: it is very common, if not expected, that one's own family has a very difficult time receiving the person as anything other than their sibling, daughter, son, mother, father, etc. And perhaps more so if they are a minister and used by God in many ways that honestly are even needed within that family. But you would be hard-pressed to do any miracles there because the lack of receptivity and unbelief would be so high. It is impossible? Of course not. But Jesus was saying that's the norm so get used to it. And I believe we are to be humble about it but not let it overshadow, dumb down or  thwart the ministry God does through us. No need to be obnoxious but not need to become a turtle either. 

Yes, I believe His family came to see Him during such a period of, for lack of a better word, "dishonor." Notice, they summoned Him to come to them. If you really believed in His ministry and that your big Brother and Son was the Son of God, would you summon Him like a little boy while He was working, or go to Him or better yet, wait until He was done to see Him afterwards. I realize some of this seems like conjecture as I flesh this out but given what Jesus was saying, it just might have been the case. It is at least not inconsistent which with very words of encouragement to His disciples. 

What do you do when you hold a person in higher esteem than yourself? Do you summon them to your presence or do you go to where they are, and wait for them if per chance you can get a personal meeting? It's the dignitary's schedule one needs to fit into not the other way around. Get my point? Jesus was having this very challenge in His life and so He encouraged us with the Scripture that we can expect to be dishonored among our own blood relatives and not to be surprised because He was first. And since we are not the King of kings and Lord of lords, it should be even more expected in our lives. God will use you with those who are willing to received His ministry through you. However, through His grace and mercy our own just might come into the fold and join hands as they choose to. In the meantime, we remain humble and love and serve our families according to God's plan....always. 

So let's take all of this together. You will notice all tree of these points happen in close proximity in the Scriptures. Therefore, this should lend credibility to my main point that Jesus was experiencing this rejection and persecution among his family and countrymen. As a matter of fact the Gospels explicitly tell us this even in the Messianic OT Scriptures such as Isaiah 53:1-9. 

Isaiah 53:3 

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

That is why He focused His ministry on those who cared to receive it. Many followed Him, some were presented to Him by family members, while others sent for Him. Jesus never forced Himself into anyone's life or heart, neither did He use any forceful or manipulative ways to get anyone to either listen to His message or follow Him. That must always be by a person's free will. And of course, to love Him is to obey Him and to follow in His footsteps. Disciples are followers, not those who give lip-service only but those who are connected to the Vine and bear fruit. (See John 15 where Jesus taught His disciples lessons about the Kingdom in a vineyard).

Again, I believe the Lord is encouraging us that unless "called upon" by Holy Spirit or given an invitation in some form by the receivers who are family members, friends, or associates, to 'minister' in our giftings - whether it is deliverance, healing, prayer, etc. - we are to be , the loving spouse, sibling, son, daughter, or parent, until there is that willingness to receive from the Lord through us - via our physical tent and spiritual giftings. Sometimes it just won't happen, while at other times, by God's amazing grace, change takes place so that God would be able to use you among your own. When that happens, it's a glorious and beautiful time. But all of the glory must go to Him.

This is not a pleasant business and long-suffering, patience, and perseverance are crucial in these times and situations. However, I believe it keeps us humans ministers humble as God continues to build our character of loving in all situations. This happens when not everyone accepts us in terms of our gifts right away, otherwise, we will feel the need to always be considered special or set apart and not in the way God intended it. Until we can responsibly administer our gifts, God allows some to dishonor us but woe to those who do when it is undeserving. And to those who glorify Him in how He uses us, He offers blessings. I have seen it so many times. 

I can think of not better words to end this post than those of Jesus when He said in 
Matthew 10:40-42: 

“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹ He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

God bless you, friends. Please remember to post a comment if this has blessed you in anyway. 

It's a War but Not a Very Fair One - We Fight from a Place of Victory!

Friends, I wanted to share some new revelation that may not be new to some folks but it is new to me. Nevertheless, I believe it's important to get the living meaning of these two Scriptures especially for the days in which we live. In both instances, revelation came as someone else was praying. The Scriptures are:

John 10:10  - "The thief does not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I [Jesus] come to give life and it more abundantly."

and ...

Philippians 4:13  - "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." 

Now, if you would hold onto and meditate on these two Scriptures, I believe God will use them to breathe new life, new fire, and a new sense of victory into you over all that you are facing. And although we are wrestling not against flesh and blood in this life but again the powers of the air, and against principalities, and rulers of darkness, know this: We "wrestle" from the place of victory. That is, we have already won. There really is no contest. What we need to wrap our minds, souls, and spirits around is the fact that Jesus is on His throne having finished His work and enabling us to continue and to finish ours. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places according to Ephesians 2. Here's some fire power for you from Ephesians 2:4-6:

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

As this word is percolating in me, I am so encouraged and I know this is a now word for many of you. Take it as yours and God will use it to strengthen you now and in the days to come.  If you never knew before, God is on your side, He is doing battle for you in the unseen realms. The victory has already been won. Accept it by faith and see the manifestation of this word.

1. The Revelation of John 10:10 From a Time of Intercessory Prayer

My fellow intercessors and I were in prayer and as usual the Lord was moving in the way He wants to. The meetings are never the same twice. This time, my friend was praying for, oh my, I don't quite remember but she is a "political" intercessor so it may have had something to do with government either Kingdom or natural. I do not recall exactly. But as she prayed a word came from the Word. Jesus was showing a new dimension of John 10:10 and it really is the crux of the entire Gospel message. It is this: Whatever the enemy does, God comes and destroy the his works. That is why Jesus came to earth, "to destroy the works of the devil." That is why we, His people, are still here to destroy the works of the evil one, plundering hell to populate heaven. 

Oh, yes, I remember now, my friend was praying and reporting about the droves of people coming to Christ in Iran during this ISIS and other such groups' reign (and rain) of terror. And the Lord rose up and said that just as in John 10:10, "the thief does not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I [Jesus] come to give life and it more abundantly." It means that where the enemy has come and has stolen, has killed, and has destroyed, Jesus comes and brings resurrection life and replenishes with abundant life. Everything the enemy has done is reversed and God adds to it even more. Do you realize what that can do to a life knowing what the enemy has done that it only provides opportunity for God to show up and to show Himself strong? It's cause to rejoice, because if you are in Christ, as you keep looking up, you can only win, and you can only rise. You are in fact, moving "from glory to glory." (2 Corinthians 3:18.) 

The valley of the shadow of darkness was never a place to set up a habitation but it's a place of transition (Psalm 23). It is a place we go through and during this time He is right there with us. It is not a time to let fear take hold. His rod and staff are right there to guide and to give us and to give us the authority to overcome. The valley is also the place where we absolutely need and we do see the miracles of God. On the mountain top in His presence, we don't need miracles because He is right there with us, only in a different manner. We can say the "valley" is this world, where the mountain top, the place of glory is His place: wherever His presence is sought as the primary purpose for meeting.

Back to our John 10:10 focus where everything Jesus does, subverts what the enemy has done from the very beginning when man sinned in the Garden of Eden. Nothing has changed. Remember the Scripture in Ephesians 2, "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..." 

There is nothing the enemy does to us that Christ cannot bring us back from. Jesus is the Divine Undoer of all that evil does or tries to do to us. 

The bottom line is, although we experience temporary setbacks ... 

WE ARE VICTORS EVERY TIME.


2. The Revelation of Philippians 4:13 From a Time of Prayer With a Senior Executive

While praying I saw that this person was able to carry large pieces of furniture on their back and shoulders. The particular piece of furniture that was the focus of the vision was a large wooden desk. And what the person was demonstrating was something they had learned from expert; that is holding the head in a particular manner allowing one to lift huge pieces with weights the average  human could not. During this vision, I remember the person wanted me to learn the same technique but I turned away and refused to look at any more because they were about to try lifting something even larger and heavier. I refused because I did not trust the technique and besides, why would I want to carry large pieces of furniture on my back and shoulders. That notwithstanding, there was something alluring about being able to do these feats of superhuman strength.

Then the Lord brought to mind that Scripture: Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." And this is what the Lord wants us to know. The head symbolizes intellectual power and intellectualism. And yes, man can accomplish as lot but he is still quite limited in that area given we only use a small percentage of our brains. It a bit controversial exactly how much that is. Nevertheless, the Lord is showing that in our own strength we can only handle one major thing at a time and eventually it will do us in. It has to. It will either be our work, hence the big desk, or whatever the major thing is in your life right now that you are doing in your own strength. And in this vision, the executive is carrying the desk on the shoulders and back, which is a tremendous strain no matter what it all looks like at the time. That means the work is 

1. a burden - too heavy for the person operating in their normal strength
2. the master
3. all-encompassing*
4. robber of wholeness 
5. robber of peace
6. administers a dangerous amount of  pressure
7. is a subverter because you are under it as you carry it.
8. *you can do nothing else while carrying it whether personal or otherwise, meaning some tasks, things, and people will be left unattended. 

And I'm sure there is more.  

On the other hand, however, once a person makes the shift, not operating in their intellectual power and the strength of the soul, but in the Spirit in submission to God, that person can do all things in Christ Jesus. That means he or she is no longer limited to one main focus but as they flow in the Spirit directed by the Lord, they can do multiple tasks of equal weight or importance. But the key is what they do will be fruitful since without Him what they do is not - at least in His eyes.  In the Spirit we are limitless, in the natural, we are limited to our natural abilities even when they are admirably superior to the abilities of others.

I am saying you may be incredibly gifted and extremely impressive but if you are not submitted to God, operating in His Spirit, you are very limited in what you can accomplish compared to what you can accomplish in Him.

I don't know about you, but that really rocks my world. As a matter of fact, both of these revelations encourage me to seek God more. The first one causes me be focus on what God is doing even more because what the enemy meant for bad God invariably turns it around and uses it, turning it into good.  The second revelation is super encouraging because, although I seem to be working a lot of things at once, as long as it's in the Spirit directed by Him, I can handle it. The key is that it must not be motivated by my own intellect but by His Spirit.

We are not looking to do what we want asking God to bless it, we want to do what God is blessings. Not original but so very true.

God bless you all! I hope you are as super encouraged by this word as I am.

Shalom.

Submission Series: Part 2: Submission vs. Alignment: Why I'm Determined to Change my "Tune"

SUBMISSION, PART 1 RECAP

In the first installment in this "Submission" series, we looked at "Submission: A Surprising Key, now updated to "Submission: A Surprising Key to Peace, Power, Love, and Sound Mind." I shared about how submission to God brings peace and freedom from fear and the ability to operate in His power, love, and sound mind. We learned that, as a believer, submission to God means submitting to an all-powerful and all knowing, all seeing perfect Father Who is Himself, Love. The corollary is that not submitting to His love opens us up to bondage to a spirit of fear which wreaks havoc on our lives. 

SUBMISSION, PART 2 - SUBMISSION VS. ALIGNMENT

This will be a somewhat shorter post but I believe a very important one. This post also deals with the issue of SUBMISSION, albeit a subsequent point than submitting to God in the first place. Here I will deal with a term I tend to use with greater and greater frequency. However, I am determined to change my tune and to say the word submission instead of one that is not synonymous but used as if it were. That word that is a very popular term in contemporary Christianity is ALIGNMENT. This is, admittedly a term I use quite often in terms of alignment with God's plan for our lives. Another word that is used is the word AGREEMENT. Now two of these three words are found in the Bible: Submission and Agreement. Alignment is not. What's the big deal you ask? I believe there is a significant difference and that we need to get back to the Biblical term and meaning lest we lose the effectiveness of Submission. I intend to change my tune, perhaps you might, too.

This post is about differentiating between the terms submission, which is not very popular in today's environment or culture, and alignment, which is much more palatable in our culture today. However, nowhere in Scripture do I see anything about aligning with God, either explicitly or implicitly. Always, there is the sense of submitting to God's will because He is the superior force, He lovingly points us in the right direction, obedience leads to blessing, and disobedience leads to very bad circumstances, whether or not you are comfortable with the term curses. To disobey God, takes us out of the covenantal relationship of GRACE and places us back under the LAW and its impossible standards. It may not happen the first time, but habitually disobeying God is a sign of not wanting Him as Lord and Savior so that His protective hand recedes from our lives in greater measure leaving us as targets for the enemy of our souls.

I believe when we veer away from biblical standards and terminology we lose something in the meaning as well as the force and power of the words. Obviously, this does not apply to everything but when a word like "submission" has been replaced with "alignment" as different as those meanings are, we begin to lose sight of what God means to convey and therefore, the true effect of the word.

THE WORDS & THEIR MEANINGS

Let's take a look of the meanings of these three words: Submission, Agreement, and Alignment. We will then focus specifically on "Submission vs. Alignment."

1. Submission means, "yielding to a superior force". 

God is clearly the Superior Force. He does not run His Kingdom by committee, although He allows us to partner in the work of the Kingdom, there is a reason we are called His children. We are not His equals, no matter how friendly we are with Him. Jesus was given all authority over everyone but the Father. We submit to God. 

James 4:7:"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. In the home, the woman is to submit to her husband, but the husband is also to submit to the wife. He is, however, the leader in the home.

2. Agreement means, "harmony, accordance, [concurrence] in opinion or feeling."

Agreement signifies equal power to disagree or agree. Harmony carries with it a sense of equality. We are not equal to God in authority. He is King and Father. Where the Bible speaks of agreement, it is not agreement between man and God but man and man. 

Amos 3:3: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed."  

Matthew 18:19: "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."

3. Alignment means "arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions" or "a position of agreement or alliance". 

In other words, this alignment can be either lateral (side by side). Horizontal alignment implies that the parties are on equal footing, where is no indication of hierarchy. Alignment may also be vertical; however, this would add ambiguity to the term. Is it horizontal or vertical alignment? By simply using the word "alignment," we have no idea. That is unless you add the words vertical or horizontal and even then, there is no indication of submission. Only "submission," or a synonym, means submission. Therefore, the word, "submit" would work best if a hierarchy is being communicated. But notice that the word "alignment" can square with the word "agreement" more than it can with the word "submission." However, there is no indication of yielding to a superior force as alignment and agreement often signal equality.

MORE ABOUT SUBMISSION IN SCRIPTURE

Jesus' submission to God in the Garden of Gethsemane

Since Jesus is our Model, this bears repeating. The Lord clearly had a choice whether to go to the Cross and die for all of mankind to be redeemed to God. He was determined to remain submitted to God even to death, when "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). As One under authority, He deferred to the will of the Father. Jesus, God incarnate, submitted to His Father. It was not about alignment but submission; He was under the authority of the One Who had sent Him. The Gospels are particularly full of Scriptures where He is referring to His Father as the One who sent Him, Who gave Him authority, and Who He sought to please at all times. We must never forget that while Jesus was engaged in His earthly ministry, He did not equate Himself with God but submitted Himself under the rule of His Father. In that way, He showed us how to do submit to God's rule.

The Centurion and Jesus reaction to his discernment

Matthew 8:9 - "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Here, the Roman centurion recognizes that Jesus does nothing of His own will but in submission to God in everything. Jesus was amazed at this man's understanding of the Kingdom. To be under authority is to be in submission.

Paul on submission

Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." (And also in Colossians 3:18.)

This is self-explanatory with the understanding that the husband is himself submitted to the Lord. So think of God's umbrella of protection and covering over the husband, while the husband is the umbrella of protection and covering over the wife.

Romans 10:1-4: "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Here, Paul was referring to Israel and their zeal for God without actual knowledge of God because they were not submitted to Him but their own idea of righteousness. No doubt Paul was referring to the adherence to Moses' law when Christ the fulfillment of the Law had come. Change had come, the Deliverer they yearned for from the very beginning had been sent by God but they failed to recognize Him. Instead, most of them dug their heels into their status quo, refusing to bend to the One they claimed to serve . 

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject [submitted] to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

 God supports social order and governmental authority. It is difficult for some that even bad leaders are subject to, whether or not they realize it, and that God appoints them for reasons He alone completely understand. But if we hearken back to rulers like King Saul, the people asked for a human ruler instead of God, and so they were given one. Saul was not a submissive King but he was placed in his position by God. David, on the other hand was submitted to God, in spite of his failings. He was a man after God's heart. 

A very important caveat to submitting to man's rule: 
Laws from any government, which are in derogation of  God's laws are not be obeyed. It is better to offend man than to offend God.

Peter on Submission

1 Peter 2:13-17: "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme or ¹⁴ to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—¹⁶ as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God.¹⁷ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."

Like Paul, Peter also weighed in on submission to the ruling authorities in honor of God, who rules all. But this passage is laden with practical advice for success as a good citizen. 

1 Peter 5:5: "Likewise you younger people,submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Here Peter addresses the young, offering counsel about submitting to elders, as well as to one another. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we really did this. 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love would be a breeze as we would not be seeking our own, we'd be kinder and more other-centered. Such richness here in the Scriptures. But when we think about it, the Lord Jesus Christ operated in the ultimate humility be laying down his glory in heaven to put on human flesh to live among us. However, the best reason, albeit a bit self-serving, is that God is not with the proud, He resists the proud but to the humble gives His grace. 

So when we leave the original meaning and intent of God's Word, we lose the power and force of what He means to accomplish through it. By trying to whitewash and make biblical concepts more palatable we have lost the power of what God is saying. There is a reason He uses the word submit. It's a hard one and everyone loves their independence, especially in America. But it's always better to go with God says over what makes us feel good. 

In the Old Testament, you certainly did not see anything about alignment, neither the word nor the concept, and even in the New Testament, you would be hard pressed to see any need to "align" or even "agree" with God. Don't get me wrong. It's great to agree and align with God but it's not the principal thing. If we trust Him, we would submit, plain and simple. These two terms, agreement and alignment, are more for the sake of unity among us humans. God does not need agreement, although it's always better for all involved when we agree with Him. But we do best for ourselves and everyone involved to submit to Him. A life submitted to God and godly leaders is a life of peace and blessing, even if not the case externally, it certainly is the case internally. 

3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

I am determined to change my tune and will be aiming to change my constant use of the word "alignment" with God's will to "submission" to God's will and His Word. God is not looking for alignment, because He does nothing by committee, as much as He is seeking those who will submit. Submission to God brings a life of blessings, defiance robs us of our peace with God and welcomes the influences of the evil one. Which would you prefer?