The Holy Spirit, Part 2: He Comforts, Convinces, & Convicts

John 16:5-7 “But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away:for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
 
We discussed some of these principles previously. Jesus is instructing His disciples that His departure back to the Father, from which He came, is imminent, lying just around the corner.
 
Imagine the consternation gripping their hearts: previously bound by the lies of religion, the pathway to God having been obscured by the leavened doctrines of the Pharisees, they have found the truth in Jesus; and now, He is departing.
 
Nevertheless, the assurance given to them and all believers for the millennia to come is that this is expedient, meaning it's going to be profitable, resulting in what's best for the kingdom of God. It must be understood that this is God's plan, and while the disciples didn't understand it then, God has been, for thousands of years before their time, and for thousands of years after their existence bringing about this eternal plan, which was foreordained before the foundations of the earth (1 Peter 1:18).
 
I have also mentioned many times the progression of God's plan. Simply stated, “He has progressively and methodically revealed Himself and His plan throughout thousands of years of human history.” From The Fall [of Adam & Eve] to The Ascension [of Christ,] we see His hand effecting salvation through the progressive revelation starting with the innocent skins following the fall in the garden, then intersecting through the Levitical sacrifices performed in the tabernacle, and finally climaxing on the cross of Calvary, where sin's back was broken (Colossians 2:13-15) and the fulfillment of the promised restoration procured.
 
However, it should also be noted that along the way there has been an ever narrowing gap between the believer and the presence of the living God. As the plan of redemption (simply meaning to be bought back with a purchase price, and what might we propose that to be?) has moved forward, another glorious phenomenon has taken place. The presence of God has been consistently brought closer to the hearts of those willing to embrace His plan.
 
Consider the pre-Fall state of the first family's [Adam & Eve’s] fellowship with the Lord: "...they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8)
 
Quite obvious are two facts: before the fall, the first family enjoyed an incredible intimacy with God; yet, the fall changed the dynamics of this relationship. Nevertheless, we immediately see God's plan of restoration, bringing His presence back to us flying into effect.
 
The sacrifice [of the innocent animal] in the garden allowed a semblance of fellowship to be restored; the covering of the innocent animal was a far cry from the fulfillment to be found in the death of God's own Son; however, within this move, we see restoration moving forward.
 
It should be noted that God is a moving forward God. Many people struggle through their whole life of Christianity for one reason: they simply can't believe what God's Word says about the exchange that took place at the cross-- He took their guilty past and gave them His righteousness.
 
Whether or not the reason they don’t ever get that revelation is because their preacher won't make sure they know it (sometimes he also doesn't know and sometimes he assumes they know) or whether they have unbelief and refuse to learn for themselves (I've been there), they flounder in Christian mediocrity, at best, and God has so much more for them.
 
When any man, woman, or child who calls themselves Christian doesn't understand that the cross of Christ has resulted in a complete position change, a translation from darkness to light, a translation from our guilt to His righteousness, that Christian, is easy prey for the liar, who is a master of doubt, condemnation, and fear. He holds untold millions under the sway of his age old lie, "You are guilty!"
 
But glory hallelujah, that's not the report for the believer in Christ; for this position change has resulted in the righteousness of the Christ clothing the sinner with His own righteousness (Galatians 3:27).
 
From the garden, God's presence led Israel in the wilderness as the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Furthermore, His presence, as a consuming fire would engulf the sacrifices they offered, which showed acceptance towards their obedience for recognizing that their sin could only be assuaged by the offering up of innocent blood to pay the penalty for their guilt. Any gospel that refuses to expose man's guilt and the cross as the pardon is no gospel at all. And any man, who refuses to recognize that without faith in the sacrifice of Christ he is altogether undone and separate from the presence of God, can be no Christian at all.
 
Lastly, regarding the wilderness Tabernacle, God's presence would show up as the Shekinah glory in the Holy of Holies behind the veil, the place, which was known as the innermost sanctuary. God had instructed Moses: "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8)
 
The progression is becoming clear: God wants to have relationship with humanity, and He is committed to getting His presence back into communion with us. However, it should be noted with which such toil God works this plan (sacrifices, wanderings, tabernacles and temples). I speak from a human perspective. At the same time, the reader should take notice of the mercy of God but also the severity of sin. God's justice and righteousness will not allow the sweeping away of or a winking at sin; rather, the plan must be worked through the ages. And all the while, in Old Testament and New alike, names are added daily to the book, which records the genealogy of those who have joined the eternal family of faith through God's sacrificial provision, exchanging guilt for righteousness, condemnation for freedom, and eternal death for eternal life.
 
A most glorious proclamation is made in the first chapter of John's gospel, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
 
The word ‘dwelt’ literally means "to tabernacle." In other words, God spoke in Exodus saying, "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." And as He turns the pages from the Old to the New covenant, His presence tabernacles with us in Jesus, the literal presence  of God (Philippians 2:6-8; John 1:14; Colossians 2:15) made flesh becomes us and reveals God to us in such a personal way that those who went before us (the disciples) were able to see Him, hear Him, and even touch the Word of life (2 Peter 1:16-18; 1 John 1:1-4).
 
The next step is where Jesus promises a "new thing." What was the new thing you ask? The "new thing" was the fact that there was about to be a magnanimous shift in the kingdom of God; for Jesus promised His disciples that the presence of the Holy Spirit would be making a change of residence. Once the work of the cross was completed and man's sin atoned (Hebrews 10:8-18); the Holy Spirit would make His abode in the human heart upon salvation (John 14:17).
 
Think about that child of God. What a wonderful plan, what commitment God has to restoring His presence to us.
 
Now, after this detour, we must return to our original thought: Jesus is going away so that the Comforter can come. It should be pointed out that one crucial point of expedience related to Jesus’ departure and the Comforter’s coming is that of geographical access. While God is certainly not opposed to crossing natural boundaries and proving Himself miraculous, He often works within the natural laws He created to sustain this earthly realm. The presence of the Holy Spirit “tabernacling” in the hearts of believers has resulted in an ever growing, global presence of Jesus as the Gospel message has gone forth through the millennia. Whereas, during our Lord’s physical presence upon this earth, He was somewhat restrained by logistics and time, meaning, for the most part, He didn’t work in two separate locations at once, now, His presence is active all over the world at once, through this organism we call the Church, He reveals His love to this lost and dying world.
 
Comforter- the Greek New Testament word here is: Parakletos. Greek words are commonly compounded with added meaning taking place with the addition of prefixes and suffixes. In this particular case the word para, which is a preposition meaning "along side" or "beside," has been added to the word kletos, which is derived from the word "kaleo," which is where we get our word ‘call’ from, and this is the exact meaning to call.
 
Therefore, when the word is seen from its proper perspective, the Comforter is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who has been “called alongside to help.” It should probably not be thought of as in reference to His calling alongside our outside. For instance, in this Acts passage, David expresses, "For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:" (Acts 2:25)
 
As I have so strenuously attempted to explain with all the dialogue of God progressively moving His Spirit towards us, the climax point of God's movement, at least on this side of eternity, is the cross of Christ, allowing God’s Spirit to reside in our person.
 
John 14:17-18 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
 
In this passage, the reader's attention is focused towards the contrasting words: "with you" vs. "in you."
 
Previously, through all the OT movement of God, the Holy Spirit merely dwelt "with" the inhabitants of Israel, as they were God's chosen people. While there were isolated instances where God allowed His Spirit to indwell His servants in order to accomplish specific tasks: Bezaleel (when creating the articles of the tabernacle) and Ezekiel on several occasions when God asked Him to prophecy, His presence did not make His abode in the hearts of man until the finished work of the cross.
 
Because the sin debt could not be removed in the Old Testament economy, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Hebrews 10:4), the Holy Spirit could not use the human “tent” as His tabernacle.
 
But once the blood of the Eternal Lamb, which was slain before the foundations of the earth, was offered, and the sin debt paid in full, the Holy Spirit could then make us His abode.
 
Therefore, when we consider the concept of the Comforter or parakletos (one called alongside to help), we should understand that He is alongside us on the inside. The Holy Spirit is sharing habitation with our spirit man. Remember the Ezekiel passage we spoke of last time, "...ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness,... A new heart also will I give you,...a new spirit will I put within you: and... And I will put my spirit within you...” (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
 
It is of the utmost importance that we gain revelation that the very God of glory, who scattered the stars in the skies and breathed life into a lump of clay now lives in this mortal vessel.
 
Furthermore, the finished work of Jesus on the cross is what allows all this to take place, because it is our faith in God's eternal plan (Jesus Christ and Him crucified), which allows us to receive the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17), allowing the Holy Spirit to make our heart His home, allowing us to have unfettered access to the presence of God.
 
What is the purpose of the comfort?
 
While I certainly don't want to take away from the truth that God is very concerned about our well being in the daily struggles of life, the context of this passage is quite clear: the Comforter will be needed, because as the followers of God move forward with the Gospel message through the annals of human history, those believers can expect persecution; therefore, believers will need a comforter/ counselor/ advocate to see them through.
 
He also wants to be those things for us as we find ourselves in the mess of life upon this fallen world. Sadly, much of this mess is self inflicted-- not always, but usually. The journey from selfishness (born of Adam) to selflessness (born of Christ) is rife with confusion, chaos, and calamity; nevertheless, you can be assured of some things if you're a child of the living God:

(1) This place is not your home, so there is always hope in the future

(2) Jesus has already won the victory. Whether you are experiencing it in your life or not isn't              evidence that can refute the facts that Jesus was victorious, through the cross, over death,                Hell, and the grave

(3) If you will learn to believe that you are a new creation in Christ, literally, in God's mind your    "old man" has been done away with, and a "new man" has been resurrected with Jesus, and if you begin to believe this, then…

(4) You will see the grace of God, in the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit going to work on your behalf.
 
What I'm talking about is a spiritual miracle where God begins to heal His people's land. He does this not because they are good enough, fast enough, go to church enough, or pray enough... But instead, they were told the truth about the New Covenant, they placed and kept their faith there, and because that is God's eternal plan, He blesses them by bringing peace through grace, which is dispensed by the person of the Holy Spirit, and all this is predicated on the believer's willingness to continue trusting in the finished work of Jesus for that is righteousness God can accept and that is the place where grace can flow.
 
John 16:8-11 “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”
 
First in order for this next passage of scripture is to get a handle on this King James word "reprove."
 
So let's examine this word in a variety of ways in order to attempt a proper understanding. The Greek meaning is:
 
ελεγχω elegcho; of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish:— convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove
 
The English dictionary describes the word as such: to criticize or correct.
 
And various other words from other translators, in their attempt, to capture the meaning are: prove, correct, convince.
 
So for the disciples and us as believers, He is the Comforter, and for the world, He is the "reprover."
 
As Jesus promised, He ultimately resurrected from the dead and ascended to the Father, which resulted in the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now, to me what's interesting is that the work of the Holy Spirit is affecting the church and the world through His residence in the heart of believer's.
 
In other words, it is through the witness of the followers of Christ, as they proclaim and live this Gospel message that the Holy Spirit comforts the church and convinces the world system they are wrong.
 
We are the mouthpieces from which the Spirit of God chooses to do His work; our presence is salt upon the earth and light in the midst of darkness (Matthew 5:13-16). That's why I become enraged when modern preachers say things like, "Preach the gospel and use words only when necessary." No! Christian don't believe that! Yes, your actions, empowered by the grace of God, must emulate the love of the Savior. However, without words, the world may be led to believe that we are influenced by the deceptive angels of light who teach the Buddha's doctrine of progressive reincarnations, where the spirit moves higher towards the destination of Nirvana, as it practices better Karma (works) through each stage of its vegetable or animal kingdom existence.
 
In other words, Buddhists are taught to treat people right also, but the underlying spirit driving their purposes are demon spirits and fallen angels. There are probably people reading right now who think I'm a fool for writing this, thinking I'm so unskilled and unlearned about the arts of Eastern Mysticism. No! You're the unlearned one. By Aleister Crowley's own admission,…who is he you might ask? He is the most powerful Satanist that lived in the past 100 years, and was a practitioner of various forms of metaphysical cults. Furthermore, he was a practitioner of the ancient art of Buddhist Transcendental Meditation, becoming convinced of its otherworldly power when he paid a visit to a man whom he used to practice the occult arts with, who had travelled to Tibet to learn the way of the Buddha from the monks in the mountains; and upon entering the room in which his friend was, he found him levitating several feet within the air. I can assure you this man was experiencing a spiritual phenomenon, but this was not the Holy Spirit; rather, these were demon spirits.
 
My point is that the Holy Spirit produces His effect upon the world through us, His people, the vessels He has recreated in Christ (Galatians 2:20), and if God's people are silent then how will the world ever know the love of Jesus.
 
John 16:8-11 "... He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
 
Regarding the word "world," the word Kosmos is used in the Greek, describing a specific order or arrangement and its inhabitants, so the context we are dealing with is the fallen world of which Satan has been given dominion through Adam's disobedience; furthermore, included is the idea of the spiritual influence of the anti-Christ agenda upon the inhabitants of the world.
 
Within the context of this framework, we are reminded of the separating line of the believer in Christ from the inhabitants of the world system. We are the ekklesia (Greek for church)  ek= out; klesia= called, so the word "church," in the Greek literally means, "the called out ones." God, through the foolishness of preaching has…called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, and through this peculiar group of people (1 Peter 2:9), He chooses to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, through which the Holy Spirit's presence begins to convict, convince, even prove to the world some things about sin, righteousness, and judgment.
 
John 16:9 "...Of sin, because they believe not on me..."
 
There is no other way to say it other than this, "When man finds himself outside the forgiveness of Jesus, He is guilty of sin in God's eyes."
 
We have already discussed at length that the plan of God regarding sin was foreordained before the foundation of the earth (1 Peter1:18), the remedy offered was Jesus' sacrifice, and a rejection of that sacrifice leaves man outside the forgiveness of God.
 
Therefore, when the Comforter preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ through the preacher or believer alike in his daily walk through the world around him, the Holy Spirit does His work of convincing. It is at this point that the age old choice must be confronted-- will the hearer believe, from the heart (inner man) the truth spoken and receive the forgiveness purchased by Jesus? Or will he/ she ignore the reproof of the comforter and remain on the sin guilty side of the cross?
 
John 16:10 "...He will reprove...and of righteousness...of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me know more..."
 
Not only does the Holy Spirit convince the world of sin, but also of true righteousness. You see man can attempt in His endless endeavors to produce righteousness through his sin sickened body, but every grave marker that marks the spot of another departed soul preaches a message all its own. The message preached-- you ask?
 
"The wages of sin is death" is the message and every tombstone signaling from the soil of this fallen earth is the illustration that all the righteous acts of both sinner and saint alike cannot and do not save a man from the curse of sin.
 
Jesus' death tells an altogether different story; for if a man sojourn to the place where they say His body was laid to rest, there are no bones to see. Jesus was accused by Israel and crucified by Rome as a guilty man, but He was vindicated by the Father through His resurrection from the grave as Peter eloquently preached in the book of Acts:
 
Acts 2:22-24 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”
 
We are promised that if we through faith accept the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin that: "the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:11)
 
The resurrection proves His righteousness. The wages of sin is death for mortal man, passed through the annals of time from our father Adam, we are all found guilty outside of Christ; however, He became us, so He could destroy the power Satan held over humanity through sin and death:
 
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)
 
The resurrection is paramount to our Christian faith. There are so many Biblical truths proven through Jesus' resurrection. As we are studying now, the resurrection proves Jesus was the sinless Lamb, who was slain before the foundation of the earth; for if He had a blemish, He would not have risen, because He would have been guilty rather than innocent.
 
In addition, because He is risen, we are assured that through faith in His sacrifice all our sin is atoned, because He: "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."(Acts 2:24) paid our penalty in full.
 
Since He is risen, we can be certain that our sin is atoned; and because He is true righteousness and we have been clothed with Him (Galatians 3:27), we can be sure that we have been made the righteousness of God through Him:
 
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

 
The resurrection of Jesus testifies to a dying world the righteousness of God. The Comforter's presence and testimony of the resurrection, empowered the disciples to testify to the righteousness of Jesus, disregarding their own lives, they preached the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, which ultimately resulted in their own deaths: Mark had a noose placed around his neck and was dragged behind a chariot through the streets of Alexandria Egypt; Andrew was crucified in Greece; Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, the one found under the fig tree, had his skin flayed from his body and was ultimately beheaded for Jesus; lastly, Thomas, the very one who doubted the Resurrection to begin with, after being invited to stick his fingers in Jesus' nail printed hands and thrust his hand within His pierced side, evangelized India and ultimately faced his demise as he was run through with a spear for his refusal to shrink back from the Gospel's testimony.
 
Let every believer be reminded that our Jesus is not dead... "No! He is alive. God's not dead-- no! He is alive... God's not dead-- no! He is alive-- I feel Him all over me!"
 
And the Holy Spirit is in the ministry of convincing the world that their dead works cannot produce righteousness because Jesus alone is the righteousness of God.
 
11 "... He will reprove the world of...judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
 
Through Jesus' sacrifice and vindicated resurrection, the prince of this world has faced judgment. Mankind can scoff at the Word of God if that is what they choose to do; nevertheless, God continues to methodically move towards the fulfillment of His plan.
 
Satan, in his fallen state, is the nemesis to God and all that God plans for His beautiful creation-- humanity. Jesus judged Satan's lies and all the fruit of sin that emanates from those lies. The power of the prince of darkness and his resulting plans of sin to destroy the human race has been brought under trial. Satan is found condemned, and while he continues to wreak havoc upon this earth for this period of time known as the Church Age, the day is rapidly approaching where the final sentence of his judgment will be executed.
 
With this in mind, it is of the utmost importance that, we, as the followers of God, be about our Father's business, which is allowing the Holy Spirit to testify to the truths about this trial. The devil is found guilty; he and his kingdom have been judged; the day of salvation is now; believe on the sacrifice of The Lord Jesus as payment for the penalty of your sin, so you can receive the gift of His righteousness, or refuse and share the demise of the liar in the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 15).
 
So I close with this child of God, "please allow the Comforter to do His work through you, so the eternal souls crossing your path won't meet the demise of eternal death without at least having had the opportunity to make a choice about the Gospel message. ~Matt

The Holy Spirit, Part 1: He Creates

It should be understood that the Holy Spirit is a person. We believe in the Godhead as a trinity or triune. God is 3 distinct personalities, moving and functioning in our lives in 3 distinct ways; yet, God is one in purpose and essence.
 
The Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit is God, and must be reverenced and respected in this manner. There are some forms of Pentecostalism that do not ascribe to this position; rather, they believe the Holy Spirit is a force or power emanating from the Father, who they say is really Jesus.
 
I have spoken to multiple people who believe this way, and some of them reference Him as "it." To them the Holy Spirit is an "it," but to Jesus, the Holy Spirit was:
 
John 16:7-8
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away:for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
 
The translators and all the Greek scholars agree the right translation here is "He." Once again, the Holy Spirit is not an “it,” He is the third person of the Godhead.
 
The main scripture that people of the "oneness" persuasion use to defend their position is:
 
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel:The Lord our God is one Lord:
 
First, it should be reiterated that the position of this student and many much smarter scholars that have gone before believe that the God we serve is one as already stated; nevertheless, it should be understood that the context of this passage is specifically written to God's people, Israel, who are about to enter the land of Canaan (Promised Land, Israel, Palestine...); furthermore, at this time, the land was filled with a plethora of false gods.
 
The warning God is giving His people is that there is only one God and that God is the great "I am" known as Jehovah.
 
We will not talk in circles about this topic much longer. Rather, I will simply state that anyone who assumes that our finite human intellect can understand all there is to know about God on this side of the veil is...well, that man would be foolish in his thinking.
 
Jesus is the physical manifestation of God (Philippians 2:6). In Him dwells the entire Godhead bodily (Col 2:9). He told Phillip, "When you see me you've seen the Father (John 14:9-11). Yet, we're told that the Father was seated on the throne and the Lamb takes the scroll from His hand (Revelation 5:1, 8). We're told that at the baptism of Jesus, the Father spoke from heaven and the Holy Spirit, descending, lighted upon the man Jesus. Lastly, when He was born as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, please tell me, Who was manning the universe as the blessed baby lie in the manger completely dependent upon His earthly parents?
 
One of the points this persuasion will also make is, "God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33); therefore, God can't be a triune being who is one, because that confuses me and God's not confusing."
 
Let me tell you what would be confusing sir, or ma'am, whoever you are that  may be tending towards this form of doctrine, "It would be most confusing to find out that there wasn't really a Father, but instead, Jesus was just playing around."
 
In this sense, when He prayed, He wasn't really praying. Instead, He was just talking to Himself because there was no one there. In Gethsemane, facing the most perilous time of His human existence, while bloody sweat rolled down His cheeks, He went ahead and took the time to pray to a Father that wasn't really there, in order to make an example for us to pray to a Father, who isn't really there and instead is Him???
 
Matthew 6:9
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
 
Ok, if you say so. If that's the Jesus, you pray to ok, but it doesn't sound like the testimony of Jesus Himself who mentioned His Father hundreds of times throughout scripture.

Without a doubt, the New Testament points us to attributes that are distinctively the Father and not the Son; furthermore, we are pointed to attributes that are distinctly the Son and not the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds forth from both of them.
 
Now, I digress to my original point: there is a trinity, and the Holy Spirit is a person not just some floating essence. Furthermore, He is to be respected and reverenced as such. He is to be asked into our daily circumstances, we are to call upon Him for guidance, and we should cry out to be filled to overflowing with His person, so that Jesus will be emanating from us because He and Jesus are one.
 
The Holy Spirit Creates--
Chapter 1
 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
 
...darkness was upon the face of the deep...the spirit of God moved [brooding] upon the face of the waters, and God (Jesus [as the pre-incarnate eternal Word]) said, Let there be light: and there was light.
 
And so we see in the act of creation an awesome plan orchestrated by the Father in heaven, spoken by the eternal Word of God [Jesus, thousands of years before His incarnation, spoke the worlds into existence (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; John 1:1-3; Revelation 19:13)] And once the eternal Word spoke the eternal plan of the eternal Father, the eternal Spirit was hovering or  brooding, He was poised ready to create that which was spoken from the eternal Word, and it was so.
 
Creation of a New Heart
 
Similar to the creation of the worlds, the creation of a man's new heart when he is born again, sees the characteristics of the triune God in operation.
 
Once again the Father has a plan:
 
1 Peter 1:18-21
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
 
The word became flesh (John 3:14), lived His life perfectly as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45); thereby, making right the first Adam's wrong (Romans 5:12, 15, 17) and removing the debt of sin (Romans 6:23) and death (Hebrews 2:14), which previously plagued the human race.
 
Now, during this time called the Church Age, the Holy Spirit hovers or broods over the heart of man, waiting, for the Word of God to be spoken regarding the Christ. Once the written Word is preached in reference to the eternal Word (Jesus) and the believer responds through faith a creative miracle takes place and the heart of man is forever changed.
 
Ezekiel 36:25-27
Then will I sprinkle clean water [represents the cleansing of the cross, (Hebrews 9:18-22)] upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. [Beginning with the portion of the new heart, through the end of this passage we're covering, it's the ministry of the Holy Spirit performing these miraculous changes of regeneration].
 
Back up & start reading at Titus 2:6

Titus 3:5-7
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
 
Two main words from this passage should receive further attention: regeneration and renewing.
 
AV (2) - regeneration 2; new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life:

When a man is born again, his life is changed, his desires are changed, his thoughts are changed… He begins to concern himself with what God desires more than his own desires. He doesn’t hold on, without conviction to the things he knows God isn’t pleased with in his life!
 
When any man, woman, or child is willing to exhibit faith in the eternal gospel and repent of their sin, the miracle of a transformed heart spoken of in Ezekiel and right here in Titus immediately produces a spiritual conversion from sinner to saint, a miracle enacted by the "hands" of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30), a miracle made possible because of the finished work of Jesus on Calvary's tree.
 
AV (2) - renewing 2; a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better.
 
Jesus finished His work on the tree, allowing the sinner an opportunity to be saved, faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified results in the Holy Spirit producing the regenerated heart. Through this miracle, it's almost as if we are given a spiritual receiver, an ability to tune into the frequency of the Holy Spirit, who from that day forward progressively changes our inner man to look more like Jesus and less like us (conformed).
 
Sometimes the renewing is slow in seasons of disobedience, and sometimes fast in those of obedience, but the Holy Spirit is always committed to His ministry of renewal (conforming the believer into the image of Christ - Romans 8:29). The greatest assistance the believer can give to the Holy Spirit and His ministry of our renewal is to keep their faith anchored in Jesus Christ and Him crucified for righteous standing and purity with God, because the cross has always been and will always be the access point to God's presence, and it’s in the presence of the living God that the believer is changed.

Weathering the Storms of Life: Part 3

Weathering the Storms Part 3: Acts 27:10-25

 10, 11 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
 
Right from the start of where we pick up the story, I see some amazing truth essential to the lives of believers. The storm hasn't started; as a matter of fact, there is an opportunity for people to hear the counsel of God from a man of God.
 
Nevertheless, once the truth is spoken, then a choice is placed in the hands of the hearer. Since the beginning, God has placed man in this circumstance, creating him with a free will and the opportunity for making choice, reaching back to the garden incident, traveling through the annals of human history, the same choices have faced man along the way-- will you heed the counsel of God or obstinately go your own way?
 
…Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
 
I just wanted to quickly review the last part of those verses again. Paul, through supernatural contact with the God of glory has been given revelation to spare all involved untold heartache and calamity; the centurion who is responsible for these prisoners refuses to listen to the Apostle Paul, rather listening to the business men who have selfish motives to expedite the sailing of the ship.
 
Child of God pray that the Lord give you wisdom when you seek counsel; pray that the Lord allow you to see the heart of those you seek wisdom from that God will show you whether their motives are selfless or selfish, whether they are pure or tainted with self seeking, or even bitterness.
 
12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
 
This scenario is amazingly similar to how the enemy works in our lives. The warning from the Lord has been given, but certain people have refused to hear the counsel of God; furthermore, in the midst of this scenario, the atmosphere is seemingly conducive to the rebels' plans. The sun is shining and glinting off the crystal clear, rippling, blue waters of the Mediterranean as the soft, south wind gently disturbs the surface. There probably isn't a cloud in the sky-- now!
 
How often do the "world" (non-believers) and even carnal Christians for that matter make decisions about their lives solely on what appears conducive to their wants, desires, and the logic that surrounds the perception of their physical circumstances?
 
In other words, disregard what the man of God has said. Listen, "These people know why Paul has been arrested. He is going to Rome to stand before Caesar because he has been preaching Jesus and signs have been following him. His preaching nearly convinced King Agrippa to convert to Christianity; certainly, his reputation has preceded him; certainly, when he warned them about what lied ahead, the Holy Spirit witnessed the truth to their hearts; nevertheless, like the world and carnal Christians, they ignore the correction of God and make their decisions based upon what makes most logical sense, based upon what the physical circumstances paint most beneficial.
 
Then suddenly, Euroclydon sparks, which is a violent southeastern wind, and out of nowhere, completely unexpected, danger, turmoil, loss, and impending doom replace the soft, blue, rippling waters.
 
15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
 
17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps [ropes], undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
 
The word "quicksands" is misleading because it's actually descriptive of an area filled with sand banks upon which ships would run aground if not careful. So the scenario is that this violent storm has suddenly come upon them to the point that they are placing "helps" (ropes) under girding the ship trying to hold it together, while also pulling the sail down in order to prevent running aground.
 
Nevertheless, even with all their futile efforts, they were being tossed to and fro. Honestly, there is a lot of spiritual truth to be found here. Many times when people find themselves in a violent storm, they attempt to grab a hold of every idea and plan they can in order to prevent their shipwreck.
 
In the past, I've been tempted to "allegorize" the ropes as Jesus, you know, "Tie Jesus around your boat, and He'll hold everything together." Well, the problem with that theory is that the boat crashes and the ropes couldn't save anything.
 
No, the ropes, I believe, represent the feeble attempts we make to find solutions in our lives: the relationships, which help us pay the bills financially but are out of God's will for our lives, the psyche meds and ungodly counsel that contradicts the counsel of God, the addictions people cling to in order to numb their pain. Through all these feeble efforts we're tying ropes around a boat that's going to crash to pieces.
 
The only hope for them and us is the word of correction and hope given by God. Furthermore, God has a word for us to be remembered in our times of uncertainty, there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved (Acts 4:12). Once saved, we've been translated from darkness into light (Colossians 1:13). Once in Christ, He is our help in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16). We can cast all our cares on Him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He is our fortress and high tower (Psalm 144:2).
 
18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

Eventually, things became so desperate that they threw out the precious cargo

{Acts 27:38
And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.,

When the storms of life are raging, eventually it becomes clear what the essentials are, and everything else must desperately be forsaken or else destruction will ensue!
 
In other words, they were desperately removing anything from the boat that would harm them in this situation. Things which previously were necessary (tackle of the ship/ the cargo) had become detrimental to their well being and survival.
 
Obviously, in peril such as this, the ship needs to be as buoyant as possible, the heavier the vessel, the lower it sits in the water, and the easier it is for the violent waves to overcome it.
 
Spiritually speaking, why is it that we, as Christians, oftentimes have to be faced with great peril, on the brink of destruction, before we're willing to remove the things in our lives that are putting our walk with God in danger? Just as this weight was detrimental to their well being, the Word of God says that sin and weights are detrimental to our walk with Him.
 
Weight is a burden to our walk with God:
 
Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight [weights and sin cause us to fix our eyes elsewhere—it happened to Peter Matt 14:30], and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking [to turn the eye away from other things and fix it on something else] unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
I remember last week when I asked my friend John to share with the bible study his testimony regarding his coming to the Lord: how that he had been dying inwardly with everything perishing outwardly. The job was lost! The whole family on the brink of destruction! Not knowing what would happen, but experiencing Jesus for the first time at this magnitude and realizing this was more important than anything else right here right now!
 
You see, unless a man finds himself in desperate circumstances, he may take for granted his eternal soul! He may take for granted the love of the one who died in his stead. But let that man be touched by the finger of God, let his circumstances be brought into disarray with permission from God as they were in Job's life, and the result will oft times be:
 
Job 23:10
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
 
You see right now, for some of you the storm is raging, but the storm is the trial, and the trial is the furnace; as the fire removes dross (impurities) from silver and gold, so the trial removes impurities from the life of the believer.
 
Just as Job said, "He knows the way that I take...," God knows where you are right now. He knows what you're facing. He knows what you have brought upon yourself as well as where others have done you wrong.
 

In times when we feel as though nothing is going our way, maybe we need to stop and question whether or not God could be bringing correction to our lives:
 
Hebrews 12:5-6
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
 
Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
 
This time-frame of the storm speaks of darkness, uncertainty, and fear of destruction. Anyone who has served God for any length of time has undoubtedly experienced times of great turmoil and uncertainty.
 
There have been times in my walk with God where I was so far from His presence because of my own choices that darkness and demonic waves of depression and bondage were overcoming me, being driven by my flesh towards sensual desires and further away from God's presence, the sky grew darker and the waves more violent.
 
But just as God showed up in David's life, He also showed up in my life and rescued me from destruction. Many times people are unwilling to cry out to God for rescue because they're too prideful to admit that they're sinking to begin with. I just want to encourage someone right now that if the skies are dark and the waves are overcoming your vessel, cry out to Him in the midst of your desperation. Hold on to His nail scarred hand and remember that He didn't quit on us, so we must continue on with Him. As David found out, He is the one who instructs the waves and tells the shores where to start and the water where to stop (2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18).
 
22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer:for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar:and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer:for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
 
There are two main points that I see rising from this verse:
 
1). God had a plan for Paul's life, and God has a plan for our lives. We need to be reminded that God is committed to getting us to the place where we are committed to His will.
 
The word of hope God gave Paul for these people through the angel was that Paul would make it through this trial because it was God's will that Paul go before Caesar, because it was God's will that Paul do ministry in Rome before he died.
 
2). A few weeks back we pointed out that having Jonah or (disobedience) in your boat with you results in you getting caught up in the mess of their storm. In this scenario, the storm is here, it touches everyone in the boat (in my eyes representative of everyone in the world), because we live in the midst of a fallen world, and Jesus promised there would be trials and tribulations; furthermore, God uses them to pull the dross out of our lives.
 
But contrary to the people who had Jonah's disobedience in their boat, these people in the Acts story have obedient Paul in their boat, and because of that their lives are going to be spared.
 
It's important for you, child of God, to be aware that you need to surround yourself with men and women of God-- that is if you want to live for Him. You need to find yourself a group of believer's that believe God's word for the way it's written, and they need to be who you have in your boat. Listen close, "I’m not someone who calls themselves Christian then passes you a 'doobie,' or talks you into a drink, but true men and women of God who are committed to the purposes of God.
 
I want to close by emphasizing the purposes of God. I'm tired of a lying gospel that focuses on people's problems rather than God's purposes. In other words, Jonah was in trouble because he was disobedient towards God's purposes-- allowing souls to repent. Paul and the others were spared because God had plans for Paul to preach the gospel in Rome. God spared David and David sang about it in Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22 because God had plans for David and plans for Israel, it's called the giving of Messiah to a lost and dying world.
 
Preachers who aren't telling the whole story and just focusing on people's mess are doing God a disservice. God has a plan! He is saving souls in the midst of this church age! He will soon bring untold ages of evil to an end. And we're going to be selfish and consume ourselves with our personal needs and the preacher is going to help us?

 Let’s go back to Jonah. Should we focus on Jonah’s financial distress because he disobediently spent money on a ticket to Tarshish, finding himself in a great fish’s belly, spat upon the shore likely robed with clothes tattered and torn, or should we focus on what’s really happening, his failure, his need to get back up? Get up man of God; return to the point of your disobedience; upon arrival, there will be a fork in the road, take the right path, go the right way, true repentance demands it!
 
No! Let God's Word and plan prevail! Let man's plans and his lying mouth be shut. If you want God moving in your life, then find out what He's really doing, get on board with that, and watch Him do spiritual miracles in your life. 

Guest Speaker: Ross Kibodeaux Philippians 3:1-12

Weathering the Storms of Life: Part 2b

Ephesians 4:8-14 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;...

Over the last couple weeks, we have been discussing the idea of trials, tribulations, or storms in the lives of believers.   In the first week, the point that was most pressing was the fact that when we the believer finds himself in the midst of a storm, he is instructed by God to ask for wisdom.   Once again, wisdom is more than just knowledge about God; rather, wisdom is the ability to properly apply the word of God in the everyday circumstances of life.  

Last week we started on this passage out of Ephesians, taking the position that the wisdom of a mariner would be the ability to properly plot the needed coordinates on a navigational chart in order to reach the intended destination. In a similar fashion, the believer must be able to properly apply the wisdom of God in daily life in order to reach the intended destination.   Last week we spoke of the importance of doctrine for the body of Christ. If wisdom is the proper application of God's word in everyday life, then doctrine is the specific coordinates or instructions regarding God's word that allow a believer to properly understand what the word is saying to begin with.   Without a proper understanding of justification, sanctification, atonement, righteousness..., which are some of the extremely important biblical doctrines, it is impossible for a Christian to understand where to properly place their faith; simply stated: these are the coordinates, from which Godly wisdom is plotted through the course of life.   Sadly, people in the modern church have shunned doctrine and wisdom for what they call "experience," some "goose bump" entertainment show that focuses on signs and wonders (review what Jesus said about that generation-- Matt 12:39) instead of a proper understanding of God's word.   An atmosphere like this moves people away from the centrality of the gospel towards emotions and experience; furthermore, when the people of God, over the years are conditioned to move from the importance of a proper understanding of the Gospel to seeking a supernatural experience, they became inept in the scriptures, which leaves them unprepared and vulnerable to the deception of false doctrine and the sleight of cunning men, resulting in a tossing to and fro upon every wind of doctrine.  

In the midst of a raging sea, the believer is thrown off course because he has no Godly wisdom, because he has no understanding of doctrine. Where are the teachers? Where are the men and women of God that would properly dissect the scriptures and feed the sheep instead of preparing some sweet tasting truffle I mean trifle that destroys the soul.   Here lies the transition point to finish this Ephesians passage, discussing the fivefold ministry that Jesus gave as gifts to His church, we will realize that God's plan involves using others to teach us the principles needed in order to navigate properly the journey of Christianity, and more specifically, needed to navigate properly in the midst of the storm, so we’re not blown off course and lose our way.  

My brother- in- law used to have a marine navigation school business where they taught AB seaman to plot coordinates and various other aspects of the mariner's trade for the purpose of ultimately passing the test to become a licensed captain.   In the part of the Ephesians passage, we will cover tonight; we could see the fivefold ministry as the instructors giving us the needed understanding (with the help of the Holy Spirit of course) in order to properly interpret the word of God for ourselves.   Some would pull a passage out of first John saying, "I don't need a teacher. I have an unction." Ok, that's between you and Jesus, but I hope you're right because the Bible says He gave you gifts, which included teachers. While we're here I should point out that just because someone calls themselves a teacher or a minister doesn't mean that they are telling the truth, or even know the truth for that matter.  In the last class, we covered the fact that it was false doctrine, taught through the sleight of cunning man that resulting in a wind of false doctrine blowing believers off course. I probably have skirted around this issue for too long, so let me say what I really feel.  I believe that much of what we call "Christian" television is under the influence of a demonic anointing. If you can't wrap your mind around that, buy my book Occult Exposure it may help. (see link below to purchase)

If you're saying, "This guy is crazy. I don't want to hear this." Just quit reading, but don't say no one ever warned you that there was great deception in the church. Had we read and been taught the Bible properly, we would have known that the mystery religions (terminology for Satan's false religions and lies) had entered Judaism and the early church, which should have ultimately made us aware that it would have been still alive today.   Anyway, the point is that if you're following after deceitful teachers, you're under the influence of false doctrine, and this could very well be the reason that the storm rages.  

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers..."

Let's take them one at a time:

APOSTLE-

There has been arguments back and forth on whether the office of the Apostle still
exists today. It should be made clear that the Bible speaks of the fact that the New
Jerusalem (when the new heavens and new earth descend from God-- O' happy day!) will have a wall made with stones. Contained within that wall will be the names of the twelve original apostles; obviously, these apostolic positions are taken. There are only twelve, and God won't be scratching out any of their names to put any of ours.

The word 'apostle' itself literally means "a sent one."

When a man is called by the living God, it’s quite clear that he's been called. If you remember Isaiah's calling, God touched the coal to his lips. The result of his ministry was that the word of God would go forth, and those that refused to receive God's word would have their hearts hardened, which would further result in their refusal to repent and be healed. 

A sent one is an ambassador. He represents the God of glory, and he speaks forth the oracles of God not man. A sent one is not voted on by religious man. As a matter of fact, more than not, he will be shunned by religious man. 

The Apostle, sent by God, speaks the words of God, and signs will follow his work. It's my contention that most of what we hear about today regarding signs and wonders are lying wonders with more to come. Let it be known that there is a time coming upon the earth where God's sent ones will speak forth the word of God with power like never before, and true signs and wonders will follow them. 

PROPHET-
 
It's important that people understand that there is a difference between the gift or "office" of the prophet, which is what we are speaking of here and the gift of prophecy. 

In other words the Prophet is a gift given by Jesus to the church for a specific purpose; whereas, the gift of prophecy is a gift of the Spirit of God. 

The gift of prophecy is a word given by a man or woman regarding the work of God, and many times it foretells some event that will take place in the future. 

The Prophet of God many times operates in the gift of prophecy, but his main purpose is to bring a word of correction to the people of God. Just as Israel of old (Isaiah), and during the time just before Jesus' ministry (John the Baptist), God used the prophet to awaken His people from their slumber in sin. 

This office is needed more now than ever before. We live in the midst of a time frame where the so-called church is fulfilling the prophetic word of the Apostle Paul:

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4

...itching ears-- desirous to hear pleasant words.

Well, let me tell you something there are liars that are lulling Christians to sleep. The seeker sensitive movement is more concerned about "church growth" than the preaching of the gospel, and they pretend that the masses sitting on the pew are saved; yet, they have never heard a sermon on the severity of sin, the Christ of the cross, or the need for repentance of sin. 

They sit in their happy place, hearing happy words, but God help us! Send us a prophet Lord that will tell us the truth about Your Word, and please give us a hungry heart to receive. 

EVANGELIST-

The word for evangelist is built upon the same word in the Greek as evangelize and in some places the word translated in English is preach. 

Essentially, an evangelist is a herald of the gospel message. If you've ever seen a movie taking place in medieval times, you may have visualized a scene where the man unrolls the scroll and speaks forth the edict of the king. That man is a herald. An evangelist is a herald of the king proclaiming the salvation message of Jesus Christ. 

Sadly, I have personally had conversations with multiple pastors who somehow found others in a chat room somewhere, convincing themselves that a true Evangelist has no place in the church. Instead, his place is only in the streets, or some other outside venue—meaning outside the four walls of his church. 

Let me say this, "A true evangelist will preach the gospel everywhere his feet trod, but anyone who attempts to proclaim that the office of the Evangelist is not a gift given by Jesus to the church is refusing to submit to the scriptures."

The text is clear: Jesus is giving these gifts to the body for the purpose of equipping His saints, so they can do the work of the ministry. Sadly, we live in an era where Christians are so apathetic regarding the truth of the gospel, they believe the faith is a key to a safe deposit containing their blessings, like the religious of the parable, they cross to the other side of the road leaving the beaten and down trodden of life to be taken care of by the next passer by-- the good Samaritan. 

No! The evangelist is an integral part of the gifts Jesus has for His body. The passionate message of the evangelist preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit is a reminder to the people of God that we're here for a purpose-- to seek and save the lost. 

Charles Spurgeon known as the "prince of preachers" said, "One of these days you will want a microscope to find a grain of evangelical doctrine in a dozen sermons."

Brother Spurgeon (1834-1892), you we're not only a soul winning, evangelistic preacher, but I believe that you were a prophet and operating in the gift of prophecy, for your words have come true. 

I probably should take a moment to explain, once again, that these gifts given to the body are for the purpose of equipping, building up, and preparing the body of Christ to engage the work of the ministry. 

While some ministry takes place in the walls of a church, true ministry occurs on a daily basis in the lives of people you encounter. God wants to use us in people's lives. He wants to use our testimony to give hope to the hopeless, but the modern day message has communicated the opposite spirit of the scriptures. 

We sing songs like, "... I'm gonna get my blessing right now.." And we perceive our whole existence and whether we are doing the right thing for God based upon the numbers and the material blessings. Yet, in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and even Jesus' ministry, the people either turned a deaf ear or left and
went away when the truth was spoken. 

Once again, we've been conditioned to believe that if we are blessed materially then we are blessed of God, but Jesus said, the birds have nests, the foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has not a place to lay His head. 

Why can't we see that we've been overtaken by a false gospel that has literally changed our perception of the truth? Part of the reason the storm is raging is because we are so consumed with ourselves and our situations that we can't even see that there is a bigger issue at hand. 

God hasn't called us to preach a message constantly catering to people's felt needs (their mess)! God has called us to preach and teach the truth of the Gospel, proclaiming with power the victory Jesus purchased on the cross to set us free from the bondage of sin, so that we could live above our stinking pity party and realize that there are people hurting and dying and going to Hell. 

Don't tell me God doesn't want an evangelist preaching in the church! But in the midst of  an atmosphere cultivated by the seeker- sensitive lies, the gospel has been changed to a feel good social club where the undiluted truth presented by an evangelist from God may release unwanted surprises, moving the congregation into a place of unrest, an uncomfortable challenge to live their lives out loud for the Jesus, who died to purchase them with His blood. 

PASTORS-
 
The literal word would probably be better translated as shepherds. The word pastor comes from pasture as in shepherding a flock.

Ultimately, the pastor is the overseer of a congregation. He will be held responsible for the spiritual well- being of the flock that he has been allowed to oversee. The truth that every pastor should keep on the forefront of his mind is that the sheep in his congregation aren't his sheep. Instead, they are the sheep of The Lord Jesus Christ who purchased them with His own blood.

The ancient shepherd wasn't like some aristocratic, gentile king wearing silken robes and lording over his people. Rather, the ancient shepherd walked with the sheep, talked with the sheep, and even slept with the sheep. That's why the sheep know the voice of their shepherd because they have been with him enough and heard him speak enough that they know his voice when they hear it.

It's said that the ancient shepherd would build a stone enclosure at night to encircle his flock, leaving an opening where his sleeping body provided the only entry or exit. In order for a wolf to harm the flock, it would have to go through him first.

This brings added meaning to the concept of a hireling who would flee in the face of danger. A hireling isn't responsible for the sheep; instead, he's simply paid a wage for a specific task; whereas, the shepherd has a vested interest in the sheep.

Sadly, the modern church is filled with "pastors" who are hirelings rather than true shepherds. Many of them recycle a message written by a friend or somebody else off the Internet. Not really studying the word for themselves, they regurgitate some diluted poison that causes Jesus' beautiful bride to wallow in a miry mess of mud, causing her garments to be stained with the lusts of the world while all the time saying, "God is love. His grace endures through the night."

Well, of course God is love! And of course His grace endures through the night! Jesus hung naked on a cross and paid the penalty for our sin;  therefore, shouldn't we be sober- minded? Shouldn't we awaken from our sinful slumber and walk in the victory wherewith Christ has made us free?

A true shepherd will be willing to hook a sheep's hip with his staff, dislocate it so it can't walk, and tote it on his back while teaching him a lesson.

TEACHER-

Lastly, we have the teacher. Many Greek scholars believe that a proper translation would have been "teaching pastors."
 
I don't know about that completely, but I do know that Pastors better be able to teach because the people will rarely be able to rise above the level that they are taught by their pastor.
 
Therefore, if the sheep are tended in an environment void of the teaching of God, they will be easy prey for the ravenous wolves sent by Satan with false doctrine to destroy the people of God. And with a hireling pastor unwilling to expose that which is contrary to sound doctrine, which he can't even recognize-- well-- you do the math!
 
Lastly, regarding the teacher, the word in the Greek is didaskolos, coming from the same root we spoke of in the last class didache, meaning instructions regarding God's word.
 
Essentially, the teacher is an instructor of the truths of God's word.
 
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;..."
 
Once again to remind you, the purpose if these gifts:
 
1). Jesus gives the gift to the church for the purpose of giving the church to the world.
 
2). The gifts are used to perfect, bring to a place of completion or maturity the body of Christ.
 
  A. So that the church "body of Christ" would do the work of the ministry-- reach a lost and dying world with the gospel of Jesus.
 
  B. Edification-- the idea of structure. A building is only as strong as its structure will hold. God desires that we be structurally sound, so He can bring us to a place of maturity.
 
  C. Unity of the faith. God desires that His people would be able to walk in unity on what it means to be in the faith. If we don't know what that means, then I'm fearful we may not really be there at all.
 
3). To the measure of the stature of Christ. The idea is that we are growing to Christian maturity, speaking of adult height, specifically, our walk is looking more like Jesus and less like self.
 
4). Lastly, God's desire is that the five fold ministry would prepare His people, so that they no longer have to be tossed like a vessel that is lost in a sea ripped by the winds of false doctrine.
 
As this series about storms progresses, I am seeing God persistently warning the hearers about being driven off course. Like a vessel without rudders, a captain without skills to plot (wisdom of God) or coordinates (doctrines of God) that are askew, the believer deceived is tossed on a tumultuous sea, risking violent shipwreck any moment.
 
God has once again brought the following passage to my heart in reference to these thoughts.
 
Hebrews 3:8-10
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
 
The word "err" in the above passage is communicating the fact that Israel went astray from God in their hearts.  They tempted or "put God to the test" through their persistent rebelliousness while wandering in the wilderness. The crazy thing is that people can't see their rebellion while they’re in it; rather, they think, like Israel, that the golden calf, constant murmurings, and desire for Egyptian finery were perfectly normal.
 
The passage is clear: Israel erred or went astray in their hearts because they did not know the ways of God. Now, this should be a sobering message for any New Testament believer. The very people that God had birthed for Himself through one man named Abraham out of a sea of heathen nations did not know His ways.
 
The very people of whom he said:
For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life:but teach them thy sons, and thy sons 'sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. Deuteronomy 4:7-10
 
The very people who had been created by Him and been given the word (judgements and statutes) by Him and should have known His ways-- didn't!
 
Some people would say, "Yeah, but that's the Old Testament man-- now we have Jesus!"
 
Sadly, the same occurs today-- people don't understand the ways of God in the New Covenant. They don't understand how to properly access His grace through faith in the sacrifice of His Son. They think the cross is some moment in history to be moved beyond so they can move towards what they call the "moving and operation of the Spirit," which is beginning to look more and more like the moving and operation of a spirit, but it's not the Holy Spirit. People are so hungry for an "experience" that they laugh and roll and bark and crow, even shake and fake but never stop to review the text to ask if He ever did this before in His Word.
 
Instead, they say, "He's doing a new thing. There is a paradigm shift occurring, a new order of things, a new manifestation of the presence get on or get left behind," and the gullible and unlearned err in their hearts by the thousands, no, by the millions!
 
Can I speak to you for a second Christian? There is a paradigm shift taking place, but it's not the shifting of God. Instead, it's the shifting of the New Age influence and occult upon the church of Jesus Christ. God has already done a "new thing." It's called the New Covenant. He sent His Son to die on a cross, so that His presence could abide in believers as the temples of the living God. He poured out His Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and those that seek the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, will be filled, will speak with other tongues, and will be endued with power from on high wherewith they will be witnesses to the salvation message of Jesus Christ.
 
The next new thing will be chaos and confusion unlike the earth has ever seen, men's hearts will fail them. Those times will be shortened for the elect's sake. I believe God will remove His church from this earth before His wrath is poured out undiluted upon unrepentant man. How I long to be in the presence of the one who loved me enough to give His life for my sin.
 
But let me warn the reader the plans of Satan are much more organized than what we have ever given him credit for. He has for thousands of years of human history been planning his birth of Horus, birth of the New Age, birth of the New World Order.
 
This is not the same as the wrath of God. Instead, this is Satan's last stand and grand finale' of deception to drag as many of the gullible and unlearned with Him.
 
Many who call themselves Christians are ripe for the deception already. All over Facebook they call themselves Christians while living a life of worldliness. They engage themselves in fellowship and intimacy with the world. They say things like, "Who are you to judge whether two men or two women have the right to love one another?"
 
You fool! Can't you see you have already been sold under the coming lie of deception, it’s even here now, knocking-- nay-- you have already let it in! You are fellowshipping with the lies of the spirit of antichrist. Have you read your Bible? Have you read your New Testament? Don’t worry there is more than this one and much more in the Old Testament but let’s start here.
 
Romans 1:27-32
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
 
Did you see that Christian, or you who label yourself such? He said that even those who take pleasure in them deserve death. Listen to me, “I didn’t say it God did!” And if you think that this is gay bashing you're wrong because God abhorred the pornography I was bound with in the past. He abhorred the alcohol and drugs I was bound with in the past. Wake up people don't be deceived. God is not mocked whatever a man sows he will reap (Galatians 6:7).
 
Please get back on course! Please learn the doctrines! Please cry out for the wisdom of God, so that the storm might be stopped!

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Weathering the Storms of Life: Part 2a

Last week we covered the first installment of the series weathering the storms of life. There were 3 main points that were covered, but the point that stood out most to me was that in the midst of the storm, we are instructed from the letter written by James to ask for wisdom.

I attempted to emphasize the point that I felt like the Lord wanted  me to equate this series about the storms we will be speaking of to the trials and tribulations that Jesus promised we would encounter upon this earth (John 16:33).

An illustration I used was a vessel or ship upon a raging sea. The tumultuous sea is the storm, and the vessel is the believer who is being tossed to and fro. As pointed out last week, wisdom is needed in order to navigate through the storm. Furthermore, it was explained that wisdom is more than just knowledge about God’s word; rather, wisdom is the proper application of God’s word in the midst of the storm, navigation for our every day lives. 

To bring the illustration a step forward, the application of wisdom regarding navigation on a ship in the midst of a storm would be the understanding of properly plotting coordinates upon the navigation chart. Undoubtedly, it would be useless to have coordinates, yet no understanding to properly plot them.

Tonight we will be studying a passage out of the book of Ephesians that will once again speak of being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. My attempt tonight will be to properly explain the importance of doctrine in the life of the believer. To be truthful, doctrine, good doctrine that is, is every bit as important as wisdom. Just as it will do the mariner no good to have coordinates if he hasn’t the wisdom to properly plot them, it does him no good to have the wisdom of plotting if he has the wrong coordinates. Doctrine, as we will see, is the coordinates, the very building blocks from which the wisdom of God properly navigates our lives.

Ephesians 4:11-16
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
 
Last week we discussed three elements that are important if a person is going to weather the spiritual storms of life:
 
#1: ask for wisdom
#2: be aware that many times the result of the storm is directly related to who and what you allow in your boat.
#3 throw Jonah (disobedience) out and put Jesus in.
 
In the last teaching, I tried to explain the concept of wisdom. As stated, it's important to understand that wisdom has an experiential aspect to it. In other words, wisdom is not just the knowledge of God's word; instead, wisdom is the practice of the knowledge of God's word in our daily lives; it is the application and insertion of God's wisdom into our everyday circumstances.
 
Unfortunately, just as our flesh (the part of man tainted with sin) and the Spirit of God in the born again believer engage in a battle for supremacy to win domination and control the manifestation of our behavior (Galatians 5:17), there is also a struggle taking place where the Christian is wanting to vacillate back & forth between God and man's wisdom. 
 
It should be understood that this is no small thing. The word of God is very clear that the wisdom of man can be very dangerous to our well being.
 
1 Corinthians 3:19
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
 
1 Corinthians 2:1-8
Chapter 2
 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew:for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
 
So in the last lesson point #1 said, "If you find yourself in a storm ask God for wisdom."
 
In this lesson, we are going to learn that before the knowledge of God can ever be practiced, it must first be learned.
 
[Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive]
 
AV (2)- unity 2;  unity unanimity, agreement
 

ενοτησ henotes; from 1520; oneness, i. e. (figuratively) unanimity:— unity.
 
I took an excerpt from our passage that we are studying because I wanted to focus on a couple things:
 
1). The scripture is clear. God's design is that we would come together in unity. However, let's be careful and pay close attention to what is being said, "unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God."
 
This passage is not saying that we should all just get along with one another; rather, this verse is explaining that our unity must come together at a certain point. The point of convergence isn't our horizontal relationship. Instead, the point of converging unity takes place in our understanding of [the faith] and the [knowledge of the Son of God]. To be clear, people in unity on the truth, will walk in unity with one another.
 
Once again, it is important to note that the faith spoken of here is not a verb. As a matter of fact the reason this phrase was translated "the faith" rather than just "faith" is because the Greek definite article precedes the word faith in the original language.
 
Right now some people are saying, "Who cares?" For those people, it's probably best to keep scrolling your news feed; however, for those who want some answers, stay tuned.
 
The definite article in the Greek simply constitutes a noun in that language; therefore, when the definite article precedes a word, which in our language is translated as "the", it means the word is a noun.
 
"The faith" in this verse is descriptive of the New Covenant. The convergence point that God desires we, those born of Him (1 Peter 1:1-3; John 3:3), become unified is in our understanding or belief of the New Covenant, which is the Son of God.
 
While I have already gone too long, let's clarify. Jesus said, "This is my body it will be broken for you. This is my blood of the New Covenant, it will be shed for you." Jesus Christ (His person—represented by the bread) and His blood (the sacrifice [cross]—represented by the wine) is the New Covenant.
 
This is the place where we must agree, and anything that tries to pull us away from this is being driven and motivated by demonic entities; furthermore, any true Christian should not be…and I repeat, "Should not be unified with that movement!"
 
2). We are told that those remaining unified at this place will be moved towards a certain measurement of "stature." The idea being portrayed is one of adult height. In other words, we are growing up in Christ and progressively coming to that place of Christian maturity. I don't know about you, but when I look back on my first twelve years of Christianity, I'm so glad that I've moved past "diapers and milk."
 
3). When a man or woman of God becomes unified in their own spirit with the Spirit of God on what a proper understanding of "the faith" and the "knowledge of the Son of God" is, maturity and growth takes place-- and...
 
4). Furthermore, we are no longer "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive..."
 
This is the place that we resume our "storm" motif. It should be noted that the wind, which is causing the storm or tossing in all directions is caused by false doctrine.
 
Furthermore, it should be noted that in this case, the Bible warns that the false doctrine isn't accidental. In reality, the text is clear-- this false doctrine, which generates storms in the lives of believers, resulting in unrest and violent tossing to and fro is methodical.
 
To explain this, I'm only going to (exegete) or draw out the meaning of two words in the text in order to make my point:
 
a. The first word is sleight from the phrase, "... The sleight of men..." This word in the Greek is κυβοσ kubos
 
This is where we get the English word cube. The idea is descriptive of a game of dice played by men of deceit.
 
(a “cube”, i. e. die for playing); gambling, i. e. (figuratively) artifice_ Strong's
 
b. The second wait from the phrase, "...lie in wait." This word in the Greek is g3180. μεθοδεια methodeia;
 
compare “method”); traveling over, i. e. travesty ( trickery): — wile, lie in wait_ Strong's
 
In other words, its a diabolical plan that has the idea of the sleight of man's hand purposefully deceiving God's people, ultimately, resulting in Christians being tossed to and fro by the winds of false doctrine.
 
Even more interesting, at least to me, is the thought that the Greek root of the word for methodeia is methistemi...
 
μεθιστημι methistemi;to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another
 
It's as though the thought involved is a switching of one thing for another. Now, take all this information together and think of these people on the streets of big city's hustling money with the three bended card game or the nut under the shell game. Essentially, what is taking place is that they are purposefully trying to deceive people through illusion of fast hand movements, a transposing or moving of an object from one place to another, causing the observer to believe what he saw was the right thing when in reality what he saw was an illusion.
 
In a moment, I will make the point that I personally believe that this very thing has been and is currently taking place in the church-- evil deceivers, posed as "friends" (Christians) are slowly and methodically changing the gospel before our very eyes, and its being done with such trickery that the masses, even astute leaders are falling headlong into the trap.
 
But first, I want to tackle this thought about doctrine, which seems to be a much hated word by the new version of Christianity we see arising on the new horizon of this "new world" we are slowly entering.
 
If you polled people nowadays, you would undoubtedly hear people speak of the fact that their favorite part of church is the music. Furthermore, they want to hear a message that is relevant to their own personal needs. As a matter of fact, I have heard people say, after a good sermon, "How does that affect my marriage?"
 
I'm sorry Burger King customer that we didn't serve up your desires your way right away. Let me go back into the kitchen and whip you up another meal that might better satiate your appetite.
 
Or better yet, why don't you, as a child of God recognize that the scriptures are His counsel unto you and that the words contained therein (the Bible) are the words of life that will bring nourishment to your souls and healing to your life:
 
Proverbs 2:10-11 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee,
understanding shall keep thee:
 
As we learn to apply a proper understanding of God's word to our lives, we will begin to see our marriages healed along with many other practical aspects of our lives.
 
Therefore, let's spend some time with this concept called doctrine, especially since the wrong kind will brew a strong wind within our Christian journey.
 
g1319. διδασκαλια didaskalia;
 
 from 1320; instruction (the function or the information):— doctrine, learning, teaching.
AV (21)- doctrine 19, teaching_ Strong's
 
This word is undoubtedly where we get our English word didactics. I have always liked the word didactics because it describes the type of learning that takes place in a classroom, and I love learning and teaching in a classroom setting.
 
Let me give you some examples:
 
1). In a nursing degree, the didactics portion of the curriculum involves the textbook or learning of the theories associated with the science of nursing; whereas, the practicum is the portion of the education where the student takes what he has learned in the classroom to the bedside, adding an experiential aspect to his education.
 
2). Let's use the concept of electricity or air condition refrigeration. While I personally know nothing about these fields, I do know that there is both didactics and practicum involved in the process of learning this skill. There are grounds and live wires. There is conduction and insulation. There are circuits and breakers. And there is a time when the electrician must move his hand and eyes from the blue print to the place where he touches the wires.
 
3). Lets look at the job of a preacher. If he receives an education, he may take a preaching class. The didactics portion of the class may teach him aspects such as the difference between how to preach a story (narrative) vs. one of Paul's letters (epistle). This would be the didactic portion of his learning; however, there will come a day when he will have to study, produce, and finally communicate that sermon. This, once again, is the practicum or practical portion of his education.
 
Why do we care?
 
We care because the passage we studied last week instructed us: whilst in the storm ask for wisdom from God.
 
This week I want to point out the importance of the fact that there is a perquisite to habitually walking in the wisdom of God. The prerequisite to the wisdom class is doctrine or instruction 101, in other words, the proper instruction of God's word.
 
I must warn you that the sleight of hand of crafty man we spoke of earlier is alive and well in the modern church and sadly most believers are completely unaware that its happening.
 
There is a movement within the modern church known as the Emergent Church. Within the framework of this faux "church," there is an emphasis on reaching a generation of what we call postmodern people. Postmodern meaning-- we've moved past the age of modernity, where science was supposed to fix all the ills of mankind, when in reality, it has left people with a void in their lives and full of unanswered questions.
 
Within postmodernism, is the thought that there is no absolute truth; therefore, there is no absolute text (Bible). Furthermore, there is no absolute central focus; therefore, there is not one absolute God.
 
Instead, there are many ways to happiness, many holy books to explore, and many gods to implore. Within this framework, the Emergent Church's mission is to give the postmodernist an opportunity to "experience God." In other words, people don't want to just know Him, read about Him, and have to put there faith in some doctrine. No! They want Him to be palpable, breathable, even drinkable.
 
Listen close because this is where it gets good or bad, whichever way you choose to see it. The way people are instructed to tap into experiencing this god's presence is through ancient mystical practices which include: soaking, breath prayers, and contemplative prayer.
 
Both of these practices find their roots in mystery religion and "christianized" versions of the ancient art of yoga where one is taught to empty oneself in order to "experience" the deity, so I don't doubt if you practice these tactics that you're experiencing something, but I can definitively tell you this, "It ain't the God that sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross, because the way you experience that God is through faith in the one whom He sent to die for your sin."
 
These types of mystical practices have also entered through much of the Word of Faith Movement where preachers preach fables then back it up with, "I received this one from direct revelation of God."
 
Within both of these movements, there is a deterrence from a proper Christ centered (Jesus Christ and Him crucified) approach to the gospel. There is a clear avoidance of terminology such as: sin, blood, and the cross.
 
There are multiple instances where these people can be seen and heard degrading the concept of doctrine, which, once again, simply means God's instruction.
 
One of the most blatant examples is found in The Purpose Driven Life:
 
"God won't ask you about your religious background or doctrinal views." Pg. 34
 
Sadly, many of us in the church have been made punch drunk by the claim of the word of faith preachers, "Touch not mine anointed." This verse is used as an attempt to quiet detractors and strike fear in the heart of any man who would dare call into question the teachings of another preacher. Really! You better go back and read your Bible. Start with Jesus' warning about the leaven of the Pharisees. Then move to Paul's persistent warnings about the Judaizers and others who were teaching false doctrine.
 
No! It's my job and your job to be Berean's, study the word, and mark them which teach any other doctrine than the one we have been given:
 
Romans 16:17-18
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
 
If you think I've gone too far here, then I challenge you to watch this video-- if you can handle the truth that is!
 
Church of Tares: Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Church Growth, and New World Order.
 
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=kxY3VbBHTkY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkxY3VbBHTkY%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player
 
In the meantime, I'm going to discuss some scriptures that speak about the importance of doctrine.
 
Matthew 16:12
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Exegete and expose the verses before and after this one
 
Acts 2:42
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles 'doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
 
Romans 6:17
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
 
Romans 16:17-18
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
 
Fair speeches-- in a bad sense, language artfully adapted to captivate the hearer:fair speaking, fine speeches
 
1 Timothy 4:13
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
 
1 Timothy 4:16
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them:for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
 
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears {desirous of hearing something pleasant}; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
 
Fables--  an invention, a falsehood
 

And we wonder why the lives of believers many times resemble those of unbelievers, struggling and flailing in the midst of a tumultuous storm, seemingly incapable of finding their way back on course.

Weathering the Storms of Life: Part 1

In discussing the storms of life, I am specifically equating "storms" to times or seasons where our lives are full of confusion and uncertainty.
 
The storms of life can be equated with trials and tribulations that Jesus spoke about:
 
John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
 
Tribulation: a pressing, pressing together, pressure metaph. oppression, affliction,
 
When viewed from a proper biblical perspective, the Christian should expect that the trials and storms are coming simply because we live on a fallen earth, which is driven by the spirit of antichrist and is contrary to the child of God.
 
Nevertheless, Jesus tells us when the tribulations of life are encountered that we are to be of "good cheer because He has overcame the world." When the mature Christian is faced with a trial or tribulation, their initial reaction very well may be one of great concern and even distress, but ultimately, the trial should drive them to put their eyes on the Lord, which produces peace.
 
Storms, in the natural, are typified by howling winds, destruction, and when encountered on the sea, powerful waves that can drive the vessel off course.
 
Our journey can be similar to a vessel tossed by powerful waves when we attempt to face the storms of life in our own strength or logic. Actually, it's common for our attempts or plans to cause more trouble, more anxiety, and more confusion.
 
Whereas, when we look to the Lord, the storm is calmed, we experience peace, God gives us direction, and we learn from the trial or storm we've just experienced.
 
In the physical world storms, at least hurricanes start with waves; therefore, I'm going to start by using a verse, which describes waves and trials.
 
James 1:2-8
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;KJV
 
James 1:2
Testing of Your Faith
 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ESV
 
The word "temptations" is used in the KJV and "trial" in ESV. The idea in the passage is that there is a testing taking place through the trial.
 
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.-- If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
 
Essentially, this passage is speaking to believers. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is clear through James that, in this case, the believer's faith is on trial in the midst of the test.
 
There are some very important things that should be noted:
 
1). The unbeliever who is in a storm or trial is relatively hopeless. There is no sense to be made of his plight (situation) because he just believes that random things happen, and he is the recipient of some random "bad stuff."
 
2). The believer, on the other hand, is instructed to count the trial as joy-- why?
 
3). The believer is instructed to count the trial as joy because the trying of our faith "worketh" or produces patience. In the Greek this word for patience is synonymous with endurance.
 
4). The believer is instructed not to quit in the midst of the trial because the purpose of the end result of patience is that we become "perfect."
 
The idea of the word perfect here is not the same as we use it in everyday language. Instead, it describes maturity or completion. In other words, if we are going to ever be labeled as “mature” and complete Christians, we are going to have to endure the trial or testing of our faith.
 
5). There is a critical component to the success of the Christian's trial-- wisdom.
 
Wisdom:
 
• skill in the management of affairs
• the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living
• the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by [acuteness] and experience...
 
Acuteness:
 
• sharp or penetrating in intellect, insight, or perception: an acute observer.
• extremely sensitive even to slight details or impressions: acute eyesight.
 
If we are going to navigate the storms of life successfully, we must have the wisdom of God working on our behalf.
 
Wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit working through knowledge of God's word. Wisdom is not just knowledge about the word of God; rather, wisdom is an experiential working of God's word in us as we travel life.
 
It is the practicing of God's word to the point that we begin to operate with an acuteness or perception regarding our surroundings and begin to make decisions based upon the wisdom of God instead of the logic of man.
 
In other words, a person operating in wisdom has knowledge regarding the word of God, knows how to apply that knowledge in specific circumstances, and is obedient in doing so.
 
6). But when you ask for God's wisdom in the midst of your trial don't waver-- don't be double minded.
 
In other words, don't ask God for wisdom to navigate in your storm then respond in a double minded manner by steering in a direction that has some of God's instruction and some of your own will mixed in. If you do that, you're off course Christian. You're going to be tossed to and fro like a wave in a raging sea.
 
If the wisdom of God is not just knowledge, but knowledge and experience resulting in proper application in specific circumstances, then how does the message of the cross or the finished work of Christ fit into this trial or storm equation?
 
Remember, this whole passage tells us that faith is on trial. Sadly, most people think of faith only as a verb, usually in reference to something that they want (new car, house, relationship...).
 
In the case of a storm, they may think that the faith spoken of believes God for an escape.
 
In reality, more often than not the New Testament writers used the word faith more as a noun, as in a place or state of being. An example would be, before Christ, you were in a state or being of sin, but after conversion, you are now in a state or being in a new place called "the faith," which is synonymous with being "in Christ."
 
In other words, when a person places faith (verb) in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, they are now in the faith (noun).
 
The faith is a place. Essentially, it’s descriptive of the New Covenant in Christ. It is this faith that is constantly on trial because while the enemy wants to destroy it, God wants to perfect it.
 
Proper faith always looks to Jesus, the source of victory, and His sacrifice, which is the event allowing sinful man to be connected to the presence and grace of God.
 
Therefore, just as faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified gives the believer access to grace in order to experience victory over sin, faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified also gives the believer access to grace to experience peace in the midst of his storm. But this must come through applying the wisdom of God in the midst of these circumstances.
 
The person who lacks the wisdom of God finds his/her life being tossed to and fro like a wave in the midst of a storm. There is no godly direction; instead, this person is being driven by their own logic and carnal appetites (What they want).
 
Point # 1: when a person finds himself in the trial or storm, he should ask God for wisdom.
 
However, it should also be understood that true wisdom is something that God dispenses as His children walk with Him. True wisdom is gained through relationship with God. It's not just a life preserver thrown out every time somebody finds themselves tossing around like a wave on the ocean.
 
Point # 2: sometimes the storms in our lives are a direct result of who or what we allow in our boat.
 
Jonah 1:1-12
Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish:so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you:for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
 
Jonah was a child of the most, high God running away in rebellion from the will and presence of God. The result of his disobedience is that the storm is raging, resulting in confusion and chaos for everyone around him.
 
Have you ever known anyone like this? Everywhere they go, everything they do is filled with drama, frustration, and chaos. Furthermore, if you choose to connect yourself to them while they navigate their disobedience, you will also be affected.
 
The people in the Jonah story have connected themselves to Jonah and his disobedience, resulting in them also being connected to the storm that is surrounding Jonah's life.
 
In a similar fashion, when a believer connects himself to people or "things" of disobedience, they should expect chaos and confusion.
 
Point # 3: the answer to the storm is simple-- throw Jonah out and let Jesus in.
 
Matthew 8:23-27
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves:but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us:we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
 
There are other instances where Jesus encounters the storm and brings a calm which we will cover over the next couple of weeks.
 
However, the main point to be made here is that Jesus has authority and power to change circumstances; unfortunately, many of us, as the disciples in this story, are more concerned or consumed with the storm than the storm stopper.
 
It's also interesting to me that they were in the boat with Jesus; yet, they were being overtaken with fear because of the circumstances. Ultimately, it should be noted that many Christians want to say that they have Jesus in the boat, but they have connected themselves to Jonah (disobedience), resulting in a lack of God's presence and an intensification of the storm.
 
If you are experiencing this in your life, the answer is to get rid of Jonah (disobedience) and get a hold of Jesus.
 
Not only did Jesus calm the weather in this story, but if you continue reading, you will find that He also has authority over unclean spirits, so no matter what you are experiencing in your life right now, I am here to remind you that Jesus has the needed power-- turn to Him!

Lessons from Gideon: A Man of Valor Part 1

Judges 6:1-10
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord:and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven {fulfillment}years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel:and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number:and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.
 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:but ye have not obeyed my voice.

I never realized it before, but once the Lord began to deliver me in my mind, there was a level of fear associated with the bondage that I was previously in. I remember telling Danielle one time, “The Lord has set me free even in my thoughts since I started focusing on His victory on Calvary, but I haven’t wanted to say anything because I was scared the devil was going to get mad.”
 
We have spoken in the past about the fact that the release of the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt through the Red Sea is an OT type of our salvation out of the world and release from the yoke of the prince of this world.
 
If that be the case, then the wanderings of the wilderness and the time-frame of the judges represent the stubborn and stiff necked Christian who refuses to submit to God's plan for their lives.
 
Israel's disobedience during this time-frame resulted in God allowing their enemy to assume power over them.
 
When we walk outside of God’s will, by playing games, and touching the unclean thing; we open doors to spiritual forces who wreak havoc in our lives. In this story, the Midianites play the role of these spiritual forces.
 
This story tells us that the Midianites, with all their cattle and camels, came into Israel's land, devouring and consuming all their sustenance; furthermore, the scripture is clear. The reason it happened was because:
 
fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:but ye have not obeyed my voice.
 
Israel refused to obey the voice of the Lord and through fear connected themselves to the gods of the world, and through that connection opened a door that resulted in destruction of their sustenance.
 
Sheep, gone! Oxen, gone! Harvest, gone! They were left dry and desolate.
 
In the lives of many Christians today, disobedience has opened the door, allowing the enemy to rush in and consume the "land." Wreaking havoc in their lives, and causing peace to be gone! Protection, gone! Access to grace, gone! Finances in disarray! Children refusing to serve the Lord! And all this because of a refusal to submit to God and His ways, rather instead, choosing to hold to what makes flesh feel good, choosing to go the ways of the world.
 
To be truthful, God has persistently had to deal with this problem with His children of all ages. In the modern church, it’s politically incorrect to say it for fear of offending someone and hurting their feelings, but what about God and the offenses that His people commit against Him? What about the one who calls himself a believer but refuses to go the way God is prodding him to go?
 
The Lord spoke through David and said:
 
Psalms 32:9
Be ye not as the horse,
or as the mule, which have no understanding:
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
lest they come near unto thee.
 
God is looking for men and women with a warrior's heart who are willing to concern themselves about the things and the name of God.
 
That's why I want to talk to you about Gideon tonight because His name means warrior.
 
Judges 6:11-16
And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite:and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites:have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

At the end of this passage, Gideon explains that he’s from the tribe of Manasseh, which according to Numbers 2:3-31was the smallest tribe out of all 12; furthermore his (clan) or family was the weakest family in the whole tribe at this present time; lastly, he was the least, meaning the youngest of his family. With all this said, according to the evidence, Gideon would have been the most unlikely person, at least according to the natural order of things, to be used by God to bring victory; yet, Gideon is the one God chose.

There are a lot of people who struggle with their past and hope for victory in their lives. Because they have always failed, they are lied to by the enemy and convinced that they can never be free, but the victory isn’t in you or your past; the victory is in Christ.
 
In this passage, Gideon is representative of all Israel, and Israel is hiding in fear, attempting to hold onto the little bit that they have left. That is why Gideon is hiding and threshing wheat in the wine press.
 
Notice the difference between what God sees in Gideon and what Gideon sees in himself.
 
God says to Gideon: The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour
 
But this is how Gideon sees himself: behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
 
God says to Gideon something that He wants us to also know-- He promises to be with us as we do His will.
 
God is looking for some Gideon's to rise up and be used as warriors to save His people from the hand of their enemy: And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites
 
There are some principles that I want to discuss from this story that I believe will help you to get your mind right regarding the victory God wants to give you.
 
Lesson 1
 
You have to begin seeing yourself the way that God sees you. And quit viewing your life the way it was while you were oppressed by your enemy.

Before they entered the Promised Land, God had promised blessing and provision in Deuteronomy 28. The promise was contingent upon Israel staying faithful to the covenant God had given them. 
 
Remember, his name is Gideon, which means warrior, and the angel of the Lord calls him a mighty man of valor.
 
The word valor means a man of war, but it also means a person of sustenance or wealth.
 
In the physical realm everything is a mess. The enemy had eaten up all the provision and God's people are cowering, even hiding to preserve and hold to the little morsel they have left, but God says, "you’re a man of war and wealth."
 
Now, there is a lot of practicality that could be taught here about the way we spend our money and the result it has upon our finances, specifically, our insatiable appetites to spend our wealth on wasteful wants, rather than living a life of temperance.
 
Furthermore, many of God's people refuse to pay God what is His.
 
He said in Malachi,
 
God: "You have robbed me."
 
Israel: "How have we robbed you?"
 
God: "Through tithes and offerings."
 
Many of God's people refuse to believe this portion of His word, holding onto the tithe, which His; resulting in a curse being poured out upon the remainder they have.

Sometimes the people of the church are still serving the world with their finances: alcohol, music, worldly possessions.

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Malachi 3:11-12
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
 And all nations shall call you blessed:
for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
 
So point 1 see yourself the way God sees you (Romans 6:11) and two practical points regarding sustenance (finances)
 
A. Quit wasting your money buying things you can't afford and live within your means.
 
B.  Give God His and watch Him bless what He lets you have.
 

Lesson 2

 (a). Not everyone in the camp is in the battle.
(b). Most aren't living their lives sober minded, believing there is an enemy on the prowl:
 
Judges 7:5-7
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Commentators are somewhat divided about how the men drank, but the logical idea is that they brought the water to their mouths with their hands as a dog brings water to his mouth with his tongue. What they didn’t do was drink the water while on their knees and their face towards the water; instead, they drank while being watchful, which is something that any person aware that there is an enemy on the prowl would do.

Lesson from Gideon: A Man of Valor Part 2

Lesson 3
 
Gideon made a change: he let go of what he was hiding and holding and grabbed onto God's plan.
 
Judges 6:15-22
And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present{offering}, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour:the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
 
By now, Israel has been well trained in the things of God. They were taught by Moses about worship, sacrifice (to us the cross), and unleavened bread (purity of Jesus).
 
But the more recent years, under the rule of the Judges have resulted in a mixture of Baal worship along with worship of the Lord. To be truthful, this is a problem that continued to affect God's people through the ages to the point where they were no longer even serving God, but they thought they were.
 
Sadly, while most can't see it, this is where the modern church is today. The most popular preachers with the most listened to voices prophesy lies that all is well. Preaching messages that shun purity and tolerate sin, as though calling sin what it is equals hate instead of love. No! A preacher who lies and refuses to speak the truth shows hate rather than love.
 
People sit in pews in churches across America living their lives just like the world around them-- except they go to church, flocking like birds crowded on an ocean island, they search a church where they can caress their sin while appeasing some meaningless religious duty. God help us.
 
At this point in Israel’s history there is no altar for the Lord, but God has moved towards Gideon and Gideon is about to move towards God.
 
Gideon's movement towards God is a sacrifice, which is the only way God can have relationship with man.
 
I want to consider some concepts about Gideon's offering:
 
 (a). These things aren't coming back with him.
 
 (b). These offerings are costly.
 
A. We must always remember that the altar or cross is an instrument of death. In both the Old Testament and New Testament alike the sacrifice ultimately brought life because it restored fellowship between the believer and God.
 
Nevertheless, it must be understood that these items are not coming back with Gideon once he is done.
 
At this point, the question that begs asking is, "Are we allowing the cross to perform its function in our lives?" The cross is an instrument of death.
 
In other words, when we go to the Lord and ask Him to apply the cross to an area of our lives so that resurrection life can replace it, do we allow "it" to really die or do we allow "it" to resurrect in us instead of the victory of the Lord?
 
Many times people won't let something die that they still love.
 
I heard a story from a man of God. I just met the other day. He owns 5 shrimp boats and he has captains that work for him.
 
About two years ago, he had a captain that would take his money when he got paid and spend it all on crack. The owner tried to reason with him, but the man's response was, "I love it. I love how it feels."
 
The owner sadly responded, "Then I can't help you. If you love it, there is nothing I can do for you. You'll have to go."
 
Recently, the man showed up again and said, "I hate it."
 
The owner, with a smiling face and hopeful heart encouraged, "I can help you. You have a job."
 
Something happened in two years that convinced this man about his sin. You see multiple seeds about the gospel had been previously planted, but it wasn't until the sin had proven and shown its fruit that he was convinced.
 
Gideon was at a place where he was convinced. He was tired of timidly threshing wheat in a place where grapes were supposed to be stomped.
 
At this sacrifice, these animals aren't coming back; however, Gideon's problem with fear is also on the run.
 
B. The cross requires something of a man-- to trust God in spite of the flesh and let go of what we've always known.
 
Previously, Gideon was trying to hide and hold his last portion of grain, but now he is bringing cakes and animals were extremely precious in these days to give to God.
 
God revealed Himself to Gideon, and now Gideon is willing to give to God what He is asking for. What are you holding onto child of God?
 
What does God want you to give to Him? Is it hurt, bitterness, anger, dreams...?
 
He wants to give us victory, but sometimes we prevent Him by refusing to let go of what is holding us back.
 
One thing that often holds people back from giving God their all is the concern that they will be ostracized, made fun of, or rejected. Actually, that is something that we should expect if we look anything like Him because that is exactly what they did to Him.
 
Lesson 4
 
When you let go of what you were holding and go God's way, the result is peace.
 
Judges 6:24
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom:unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
 
Gideon called the altar he built The Lord is peace. Even though the battle still lied ahead and the enemy was still oppressing Israel, Gideon experienced the peace of God when God spoke it over his life.
 
Even though the Israelites were still impoverished and Gideon didn't have any more grain than he had before, and now he was less a cake and a goat, he experienced the peace of God.
 
In reality, it’s nothing less than a miracle when the peace of God shows up at times when it makes no sense.
 
Philippians 4:7
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
 
Lesson 5
 
Obedience towards God is visible two ways: (1) there is the cutting down and removal of sin (2) there is the establishment of the things of God.
 
Judges 6:25-27
And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him:and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
 
Previously, we saw Gideon build an altar in reference to his personal life, but now God's Spirit is driving him forward. The same Spirit that raised Gideon from the dead (spiritually speaking) is the same Spirit that compels Gideon to live his faith out loud for the rest of Israel to see.
 
When these men wake up in the morning, there is going to be a message preached very loud-- Baal is dead and God is alive! Every Christian will be faced with this formidable task at some point in their walk with God. Will you erect an altar for God, or will you continue living in fear under the bondage of Baal?
 
Contrary to popular belief, everything isn't alright in the camp.
 
The removal of sin occurred when Gideon cut down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. The Hebrew word translated as "grove" in the KJV is asera where we get Asherah, which was a pole erected like the Egyptian obelisks in commemoration of Nimrod's male member all relating to occult worship.
 
While we often try to sweep sin under the rug, it's quite obvious that Israel is so far removed from God that she is no longer really serving Him.
 
Just as Gideon had allowed God to penetrate his heart by embracing the cross (building an altar), God is asking Gideon to replace his father's sin with the remedy for sin (altar/ cross) for all to see.
 
What's interesting for me is that God tells Gideon to place the altar in the: ordered place.
 
In the Hebrew, the ordered place means battle line or military array. It's imperative that we get a revelation regarding this concept.
 
Israel has been impoverished through being under the bondage of their enemy for seven years. In the midst of their misery, they have cried out to God for deliverance and He has heard them. He chooses Gideon to lead the way. And the beginning of victory starts with the establishment of the altar.
 
Specifically, in this passage, Gideon is removing the enemy stronghold by placing the altar (cross) in its place. And God says, "This is where I want it. It's the ordered place. It's the military line. It's from this place the battle will be won."
 
But let me close with this child of God if you never get to the place where you are tired of worshiping Baal, you will never cut down his altar, you will never cut down the Asherah pole, and you will never let the cross stand tall in the place where defeat turned to victory.

Lessons from Gideon: A Man of Valor Part 3

Lesson 6: God not only requires that man give obedience to faith in the sacrifice, but He demands that he shine his light before all men.

 Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  

Lesson 7: when you take your stand for The Lord, don't expect that all those who call themselves 
Christians will be happy. 

Most people are more concerned about pleasing man more than God. 

 

Judges 6:25-30

And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, 
even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, 
and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of 
this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with 
the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and 
did as the Lord had said unto him:and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and 
the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, 
and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that 
was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, 
they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, 
Bring out thy son, that he may die:because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath 
cut down the grove that was by it.

 

(6) First, Gideon embraced relationship with God by building an altar and sacrificing to the God of 
Israel. As we will soon see, Israel was so far removed from serving God that their altars were erected 
to Baal rather than Jehovah. 

 

Gideon did right-- he worshiped God, but it won't stop there the next step will require that he live 
that devotion and obedience for others to see-- an example of what it's supposed to look like. 
"Where are the men who fear nothing but God?" James Van Valkenberg Christian artist Baton Rouge La. 

 

(7) The root of Israel's problem was their refusal to remove the idol's in their lives. They were 
worshiping false gods; thereby, opening doors, which gave the enemy a foothold, which has now become 
a stronghold.

 

This problem still plagues many modern Christians. With one hand holding onto the world's "goodies," 
they reach their other hand towards God. We can't serve Baal and God together. It's going to have to 
be either one or the other. 

 

Israel's bondage and loss of supply was a direct result of their failure to separate themselves from 
the world. Because of their continued disobedience, their enemy was allowed by God to have power over 
them.

 

Gideon, on the other hand, was a man who wanted to serve God. God saw his heart and chose to reveal 
Himself to Gideon in order to deliver His people from bondage. God's instruction in this passage to Gideon 
is destroy the altar of Baal. 

 

How many times do Christians allow altars of Baal (sinful disobedience) to remain erected in their 
lives? While, at the same time, they say they are God's children; yet, don't understand why their 
lives are full of strife and confusion. 

 

Well, not Gideon. He was instructed by God to destroy the altar of Baal and erect an altar towards 
Him. Once again, Old Testament altars are a foreshadowing of the cross; for it is there that the 
fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifice was found. 

 

Essentially, for the modern Christian, the question to be asked is, "when will you let go of the 
sinful disobedience and throw yourself at the foot of the cross, allowing the 'old man' whose been 
driven by sin to be crucified and resurrected anew?"

 

Don't expect that when the fire of the Lord gets a hold of your heart and teaches you and strengthens 
you to walk in purity before Him that everyone is going to get on board w/ the program. There are some 
who don't want to move from the land of the dead to the land of the living.

 

Just as Gideon was faithful to the voice of God while the other men around him became angry because 
he destroyed Baal's altar, there will also be a small remnant who will obey the word of The Lord 
while the rest will continue holding hands with the world and pretend they've given their heart to God. 

 

Furthermore, the men of Manassah were infuriated with Gideon's obedience towards God. It should be
noted that it's still a common finding that when a man or woman has their heart ignited by the Spirit 
of God, which fuels them towards obedience, the disobedient crowd becomes convicted, resentful, and 
even hateful. The same thing happened to Jesus, so why would we expect any different?

There should be some clarification added here. There are many Christian. There are many in the church 
who desire to serve God; yet, they find themselves on the wrong end of the struggle. If that is you, I 
want you to know that God hears the cries of those that love Him. Hold onto Jesus’ nail scarred hand 
as He leads you to the Promised Land.

 

John 15:18
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

John 15:24
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin:but now have 
they both seen and hated both me and my Father. [interesting that when God is revealed to man different 
than what he expected he doesn't like the revelation]

John 16:2-3
They shall put you out of the synagogues:yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think 
that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the 
Father, nor me.

John 5:1-16
Chapter 5
 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem 
by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these 
lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 
For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water:whosoever then first 
after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain 
man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he 
had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man 
answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool:but while I am 
coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And 
immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked:and on the same day was the sabbath.

The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day:it is not lawful for thee to 
carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 
Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was 
healed wist not who it was:for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole:sin no more, 
lest a worse thing come unto thee. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made 
him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these 
things on the sabbath day.

In addition, people should be able to see a shocking change also once we erect the altar towards God (fall at the foot of the cross).
 
Lesson 8: where there is communion {God's presence} there is victory.
 
Judges 7:13-15
And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel:for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshiped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
 
It's interesting to me that the dream contained a barley loaf (bread) bringing destruction to a tent considering the fact that the Midianites were a nomadic people group.
 
The passage says: barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, overturned, and that the tent lay along
 
What happened to the tent, representative of the Midian people is that it was struck and overturned by the bread; ultimately, resulting in the tent experiencing a violent death.
 
So what does the bread represent in this scenario? It's quite obviously of significant import considering it is the source of victory, at least in the dream.
 
Bread in the bible, especially the Old Testament, represents communion or fellowship with God.
 
Reaching back to the book of Exodus, we see reference to the shewbread KJV or the bread of presence: NIV, ESV, YLT, NASB
 
Exodus 25:30
And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
 
Exodus 25:30
And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.
 
Exodus 25:30
and thou hast put on the table bread of the presence before Me continually.
 
(30) You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times. Exodus 25:30 (NASB)
 
The shewbread was called the bread of presence because it was to be set
upon a table "before the Lord always.
 
Every Sabbath, once per week, the priest servicing the temple, was instructed to replace the twelve loaves, which represented Israel's twelve tribes. The fact that these loaves were "before the Lord" is representative of Israel's communion and fellowship with God.
 
While we certainly don't have time to exhaust all the types and shadows of the tabernacle and its representations of the person of Christ, there is an amazing observation to be made regarding this concept: in Christ (inside the tabernacle), there is fellowship between God and His people.
 
It should also be noted with regards to the Gideon story that the Israelites had been completely impoverished by Midian; yet, God chooses to foretell victory through a dream where prepared bread destroys the enemy. Remember, Gideon was just hiding with his wheat in the wine press.
 
There is also certainly a reference to the provision of God and the fact that when we are weak, He is strong (Corinthians). Furthermore, regarding provision, its important to remember what Jesus said about the manna from heaven: "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven" (John 6:32).
 
Jesus is true provision; furthermore, He is the source of true communion; and when we are in fellowship with Him, you can expect the enemy's stronghold to be broken when God's presence shows up on the scene. Maybe, you feel as though you are impoverished: relationships failing, finances in disarray, children are wayward, living under constant depression...
 
I will close by saying that when you have no strength left, God's is perfected and ready to bring the victory.