Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Where the Gospel Does Not Shine


“The times, They are a Changin’ . . .” Bob Dylan
This famous ballad runs through my mind often recently, especially now, reflecting on our personal quarantine and what the continual threat COVID-19 brings and all the mayhem it has birthed.  I want this time to count; you know?  Not only my time on earth, but my time in quarantine as well.  I never want to be the same again after experiencing this earth-rattle, this extensive death and division.  I want it to be an Ebanezer, a marker for me (and fellow Believers) of a time we stopped our usual behavior, left it all far behind to follow HIM. 

Fair Warning
Not everyone who reads this will agree with me – not even every Christ-Follower will stand by, or understand, what I share today, and that’s okay.  Like you, God has given me freedom to seek Him fully, while simultaneously inviting me to listen to the Holy Spirit with my own, human ears. Through my God-given rights as a human, I also have the freedom to believe what I see as Truth, to share what I am led to share and, and to stand up for what I believe, especially in this turning point of both humanity AND Christianity as we know it.

Something So Broken – We MUST Pay Attention
Oh, how my broken heart bleeds over the chasms now dividing our Country!  I hold my breath, my pulse racing as I hear the death toll rising, as I see the extreme tension, and an unrecognizable division and judgement, ESPECIALLY between those claiming to be “Christians”. I’m sure you’ve sensed this too, but more than brokenness between Believers, this current tension is taking over the Gospel Arena (let me explain):  Believers are so caught up in who and what they believe here on earth, between who and what they DON’T believe, who is right and who is wrong . . . the very GOSPEL is getting lost, moment by moment, disguised and hidden, misunderstood and most definitely, NOT lived out as God ordained. Does that scare you?  It scares me to the very core, forcing me to my knees. It's a scary time - a time when the GOSPEL is not shining, even though the ground (hearts) are futile. 

This is a time of vulnerability, when people need peace and answers – when they need trustworthy friends and leaders, when they need hope of abundant life on earth, the promise of eternal life in Heaven: they need JESUS.  This sacred time of vulnerability is being eclipsed by our hunger to, “be right” and, to have the most knowledge from the best sources. 



Taking Sides
Never, in my wildest dreams, could I have imagined such a separation, specifically among those who seem and claim, to have personal relationships with Christ.  These sides and stances have hit in fierce fashion, especially now, brought about by the Pandemic. Interestingly enough, its not only two sides which have been birthed, but several, each one “knowing” and believing THEIR truth is THE TRUTH.

I believe there are many, at this very moment, feeling as I do, sensing an unprecedented break within the sodality of humanity, one which could divide and conquer us forever, as a Nation and as a People who align ourselves with Christ. I am convicted of this very thing: the broken things playing out in this virtual world of ours; the non-stop news and every response to it, the non-stop theories and all supposed “truths” behind each one; the remedies, even the bitter loyalties to earthly leaders . . . NONE are particularly OF or FROM or TO Our Jehovah God.

Absolute Truths
Oh, My Friends! The ONLY TRUTH on earth and in heaven, will clearly be found in God’s Word, not in what we sense or feel as followers of Christ! As Believers, even during this Pandemic and World-Wide Crisis, we can act as if “our side”, our version and interpretation of what see the Holy Spirit’s revealing, is THE absolute truth.  We forget God’s children CAN and DO hear, sense, see things differently, and that is okay.  We are HUMAN.  WE mess up the message, you guys. What we need to do is look into the actual Bible, the Word of God.  What does it say? At the end of this message, there will be several pertinent verses which we can all apply to our most current situations. 

Salvage and Surrender
Apart from diving into God’s Word and re-aligning ourselves with HIM, the ONLY other thing we can do during this time of brokenness between Believers and confusion within the World, is to lay it all down – TOTAL SURRENDER.  Giving away our thoughts, feelings, “knowledge”, opinions, and offering them up to God as a Holy Sacrifice.  When we surrender, we lose that fake, insincere authority we try so hard to place upon ourselves, and we physically, literally, verbally, give it all back to the One who WAS, WHO IS and IS to COME.  When we surrender all feelings we’ve tied up within these divisions, be it political, pandemic or otherwise, the very walls of division start to crumble and fall.  The chasms start to heal.  The Ebanezers can be built.  We can look on with hope for a future GOD sees.

Wrapping Up
·  We are in a mighty, spiritual war unlike anyone in our lifetime has ever seen.Those claiming to be Christ-Followers have muddied the water during this Pandemic and Global Crisis, with confusion, masking and mixing TRUTH, all because of selfish actions and our inability to or deviance in, SURRENDER.

·    These selfish actions look like Christians believing they are superior in thought, word and deed, among other things.  It looks like heavy judgement toward those who do not see things the way you do, do not hope the way you hope, don’t long for the change your heart longs for.  Your rhetoric slaps seeking people in the face, all because you believe you feel “right” and see them as “wrong”. 

·   Believers are responsible for their actions and reactions – we have LIFE and DEATH in our tongues, in our very words – what a powerful gift!  We can use this power to deepen the chasm of confusion, further separating the hurting world from Christ, OR we can choose surrender, allowing the Father to the Fruit of the Spirit within us!

·  The Bible is clear about true followers of Christ; those who have a personal relationship with Him will indeed, embody the Fruit of the Spirit.  Will it be a perfect display or constant, godly example?  No, but we WILL see HIS character within every, true Believer, at any stage of that Holy relationship.

·    The Bible is clear about the very Fruits WE are to possess, to express and daily live out. We can learn more about them from His Word and can ask the Spirit to bring MORE Fruit into our lives so that, we will look LESS like ourselves and our own opinions, and MORE like CHRIST.

·    More Fruit of the Spirit = more Christ-like behavior.  This means, as we surrender, choosing first to LOVE rather to combat, the world will see more TRUE LOVE:  a love without exception, a reckless love from a chasing God who offers abundant life on earth and eternal life in Heaven. 
il  Will we figure out the Pandemic quarrels?  No, because we are human and because more information comes in and out on a daily basisWhat We CAN DO, is allow God to use us in HEALING our Nation, our World, and particularly, the Body of Christ.  In the healing, which can and will come from our actions, the deep chasms of pain, hatred and misunderstanding will start to close.  Although they may never fully be sealed back together, the Gospel will once again be clearly lived-out and shared.

We can look back on the broken cracks, those where healing has been at work, and see them as an Ebenezer – reminding us of the very time and places when God STOPPED the BEATING HEARTS OF BELIEVERS, softened them, called them to repentance, and brought them back to the ultimate calling – bringing souls to a greater, personal knowledge of God.

Thank you for joining me today in this journey God continues to lay on my heart.  I pray the video attached will also bring hope and clarity to the messages I believe God SO clearly longs for His people to hear.  Thank you too, for taking the time to look through God’s Word, passages listed below, pertaining to these very topics.  May the Word of God continue to pierce through our hearts, knock us to our knees and boldly, lovingly, commandingly, call us to TRUTH.

Ryan

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

1 John 4:8 ESV 
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Peter 4:8 ESV 
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,


Romans 13:10 ESV 
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

That each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor;

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

1 John 4:7 ESV 
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ...

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge;

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you; In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. . .

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,

So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 

Monday, March 30, 2020

A Pandemic and A Provider




PANDEMIC, Coronavirus, social distance – Did you ever think you’d be using these words, in real life and within your lifetime?  I certainly didn’t.  It’s been 100 years since such a virus, such a messenger of death, has taken over our Country, our counties, our neighborhoods, and even our homes. It’s a National Emergency where, if you happen to make it outside, you’re understandably faced with other humans dressed in medical masks and gloves.  Schools are physically shut down HERE, in the United States of America.  It’s a surreal time, to say the least, a time of uncertainty and desperation. 

Change of any kind can bring fear, which easily breeds fear.  Fear can be healthy and help us focus on the true, important things in life. Fear can also be debilitating. As humans, our fears often come with questions.
·       What’s going to happen if we only have one income and I’m laid off or furloughed?
·       How am I going to feed, clothe and house my loved ones?
·       Am I doing enough to protect myself and my family from the virus?
·       What happens if I get sick OR what if my loved ones catch the virus?
Oh, My Friends, this is when FAITH comes in – a beautiful, desperate, hungry, faith in Our God!

When I was young, with my Dad being in the Ministry, we HAD to rely on God – we had the privilege of practicing faith for everything.  My parents taught us about George Mueller, a Christian Evangelist who founded (and managed) one of the largest orphanages of his time.  Mueller and his wife loved these children as if they were their own, and keenly desired to teach “faith” as a fundamental action. When George Mueller’s orphans left for adulthood, he wanted nothing more than for them to KNOW what faith in God truly was; to know how to practice it, to breathe it, to live it. 

As a child, I was amazed by the true stories of faith concerning George Mueller and one in particular continues to shine. Here’s a little background: The orphanages Mueller built and managed, were FULLY FUNDED by DONATIONS.  I’m serious.  Not only that, Mueller never sought money and didn’t advertise for funds; no billboards or commercials, no sir – he simply lived with this knowledge: God had called him to this tender ministry; he was doing his best to be faithful to that calling and because of that, he knew God would provide everything, from mattresses to pots and pans.  God was faithful and provided everything that they needed, and even more!

One evening, everyone in the orphanage came down for dinner.  They all sat down at the table, along with Mr.and Mrs. Mueller and I’m sure, some teachers and staff.  No food had been prepared because there was no food – cupboards were bare.  No steaming bowls of peas, no cold glasses of milk. Mr. Mueller offered a prayer aloud, asking God to literally provide right then and there.  Can you imagine what the teachers and staff must have been thinking, or what was going through the minds of the children? Suddenly, their local baker stopped by, telling George, he didn’t know why, but God had clearly prompted him to make extra bread for their “family”.  So, the children now had a warm piece of bread on their plates.  I can see their eyes growing bigger, even now.  A milk cart broke down in front of the orphanage around that very same time, so the milkman knocked, asking if he could donate his load of milk, as it would become sour before his wagon would be fixed.  That night, those sweet kiddos, teachers and staff had big, cold glasses of milk with warm, crusty bread.  Mueller made sure to point out – they had asked their Father to fulfill their needs and, God had provided! 

I want to make this point very clear: There is NOTHING you can say or do that will make God love you more than He does right now.  God’s gifts and provision are NOT based upon our human faith – they aren’t the sum of our good deeds, or how many times a day we pray, go to church, etc.  God’s provision, the movement of God, has NOTHING to do with the amount of faith I have.  You know why?  Because, I am a human, a fallen man who could never possibly earn God’s attention, love or provision.  THANK GOD, my own, human faith has nothing to do with the way God moves.  His goodness will never be based on MY goodness. 


“Jehovah Jireh” – Did you know, there are many names of GOD in the Old Testament?  It’s true! And each one describes a certain character quality which God possesses.  Since I was little and started hearing the stories of George Mueller, I have clung to this particular name of God: JehovahJireh – MY PROVIDER.  When you pray, when you call out to God in desperation, you are speaking to the Provider of ALL things!  Pretty cool.  We can absolutely trust that name, as God’s name and character never change. 
When God introduces himself as Jehovah Jireh,
 Meaning the Lord will provide,’
It's not in the context of snacks or cars or money or bills.
It’s in the context of
the most profound physical need a person can face – the loss of life.
-Barnabas, Piper and Debra McDaniel

Sometimes, you may be like me – you may not even feel like believing or may not have faith in God and His provision.  That’s okay!  You can pray with me: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24Lord, I CHOOSE to trust you, even though my feelings are running in the opposite way!
These times of fear and uncertainty are the exact times God is building faith within us.  We can learn to trust Him literally, for the things we need, just like George Mueller.  Strained times also remind us of Heaven – for followers of Christ, this earth is NOT our home.  It will decay, it will break apart by land and by leaders, but we can cling to that faith – the same faith believing in Jehovah Jireh – knowing we have a perfected home in Heaven, face to face with Father! Nothing of this world will matter once we arrive in His presence.
 

Hebrews 11:1,6: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. 

Here’s the thing, guys – our rewards aren’t always seen here on earth. There are plenty of these examples in the Bible – Believers, living out in faith, being obedient in word and deed, yet not seeing a “happy ending”.  Our lives as Followers of Christ are not Fairy tales, as complicated as they may be. 
YES!  God promises to provide for ALL of our needs, of that we can be sure!  There is no doubt.  But the fullness of His provision won’t be seen in this lifetime, on this earth.  The FULLNESS of God’s provision will be seen in HEAVEN, which is our true home. 

So, in these uncertain days of constant news reports, with true fears of what’s to come in this life, we can rest in Jehovah Jireh, Our Provider. 
Even if, even when, we don’t see the fruition of God’s full blessings in this lifetime, we can trust it will all be made right in the next.  Believer, be encouraged!  God has promised to take care of you, just as He cared for George Mueller and his large family; even more exciting, when this world seems to be too much, we can look forward to our REAL life, our eternal life with God.

Choosing to Believe,
Ryan


Enjoy reading more about George Mueller: https://www.georgemuller.org/
Enjoy reading about the “Heroes of Faith” from the Old Testament: https://www.biblestudytools.com/hebrews/11.html
Hebrews 11
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 
2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 
11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 
12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 
15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 
16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 
18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned
19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. 
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. 
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 
25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 
26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 
27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. 
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 
33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 
34 quenched the fury of the flames and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 
35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment
37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated
38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 
40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

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