Before I was saved, I was involved in the occult. This involvement gave me a different perspective than most. I was not in awe of the so-called miraculous proofs spoken of in the Bible. I personally knew what it was like to have visions of future events and to experience supernatural visitations. I had firsthand knowledge of astral projection, telekinesis, ESP, etc. I was lost, but I knew what spiritual power was. One day, as a high school senior, I passed a book that had been left in a stairway. As I did so, I unconsciously changed my course, and moved away from it. The realization of what I had just done brought me to a halt. Wonderingly, I bent and picked up the book; it was a commentary on the book of Revelation. I took it upstairs and turned to the first page. While reading, I came to realize that the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed himself to be God through the fulfillment of prophecies, through the performance of miracles, and through the resurrection from the dead.

            Much has been written on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed himself to be God  through the fulfillment of prophecies. And, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of specific prophecies regarding Christ which he is said to have fulfilled. His humanity was foretold (Genesis 3:15). His lineage though Abraham (Genesis 12:3), Isaac (Genesis 17:19), and Jacob (Genesis 28:14), and many others was also foretold.There are prophecies regarding his life, and his death. Zechariah foretells his betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13). It is also prophesied that his death would be bloody (Leviticus 17:11) and sacrificial (Exodus 12:21). It is even written that God would forsake him (Psalm 22:1). So many are the prophecies regarding Christ, that Acts 10:43 declares, “To him give all the prophets witness” (King James Version). However, though they are many, prior to my own salvation, these prophecies and their fulfillments did not impress me. I did not believe that these prophecies were written prior to their fulfillment. Maybe they were written after the fact? And not only this, but like others involved in the occult, I myself had seen the future on several occasions. I did not see God’s hand in these things.

            But more than through fulfilling prophecies, the Lord Jesus Christ also revealed himself to be God through the performance of miracles. During his ministry, he healed many sick people (Matthew 4:24, 14:14, 19:2). He also controlled the weather (Luke 8:24). He multiplied food (Mark 6:41). And, he also did many other things “which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21:25). However, prior to my salvation, I knew it was possible to experience supernatural power and not be God. The Bible itself tells us that Pharaoh’s wise men cast down their rods, and these also became serpents (Exodus 7:12). Moreover, I had read of holy men in India who could control the weather, and of medicine men who could heal the body and mind. And, if healing the sick meant that Jesus was God, what did that make Peter whose shadow could heal the sick (Acts 5:15)? No, these miracles did not prove anything to me.

            But it is not just the prophecies and the miracles, the Lord Jesus Christ has also revealed himself to be God through the resurrection from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands alone in the history of mankind. Not only is his defeat of death the subject of prophecy (Hosea 13:14), but it is also attested to by many historical witnesses (I Corinthians 15:6). The New Testament declares that Jesus is indeed alive today and “for evermore” (Revelation 1:18). But, again, prior to my salvation,such testimony did not sway me. It was recorded in the Bible, and I did not believe that the Bible was true. I did not believe the witnesses. After all, it all could be lies and “cunningly devised fables” (II Peter 1:16). None of these things moved me.

            So what did change my mind? First off, it was not a ‘what’ that changed my mind; it was a ‘Who.’ Because the Lord Jesus is risen from the dead, he is alive right now. And,it was he who changed my mind. He sought me when I was lost (Luke 15:4), and he revealed himself to me just as plainly as he did to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3). His reality overcame my doubts. He himself is the one proof which cannot be reasoned away. And so, while it is true that the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed himself to be God through the fulfillment of prophecies,through the performance of miracles, and through the resurrection from the dead, the greatest proof – the most convincing one – is that the Lord Jesus Christ still reveals himself to us today.

*munch munch*

After a year in a dark cell with his freedom taken away, John the Baptist wondered about this One whom he had proclaimed as the Messiah. Where was the kingdom? "Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?" (Luke 7)

But Jesus replied, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." 

God is God and He does it His way, not ours, in His time not ours. 

And John was left in the prison. He died there. 

Wow, I can so identify with this! Like John, I have proclaimed the Lamb. I have seen heaven opened as it were. I have seen the multitudes repent and turn to the Lord. But now, for the last four years, I have not had a pulpit. I have not had a congregation. I feel shackled and locked up.

Lord Jesus, did I do it right? If I did, then why have I been set aside? Why am I voiceless in this wilderness? All I want is to stand before the people and shout the grace of God, and to be heard.

Will I die here? Without ever preaching again? Without ever seeing another soul turn to you?

I am tempted to be offended at You. I am tempted to despise the darkness and the loneliness. 

In my heart is anguish and jealousy and frustration. 

I wish I could send you a messenger like John did. 

Maybe then You would answer.

 

Men want to prolong life. They don't want it to fade. They don't want it to end. They are afraid of it ending.

But not so with God. God has full confidence in his own resurrection power. God does not feel the need to prolong life. He knows that when a life ends, it can be resurrected to a newer, better life; A prolonged life only drags out the dying.

But men don't understand this. When the Lord Jesus mentioned that he would be crucified and then raised from the dead, Peter's response was, "This shall not be unto thee!" (Matt. 16).  Peter was not saying that Jesus shouldn't rise from the dead. He couldn't see that far. He couldn't see past the dying part. He didn't want Christ to die. The minds of men can only see up to death; they can not see through the death to the resurrection.

But God can and often does. Have you ever noticed that many of the miracles in our lives are not prolonging a life, but resurrecting a new one?

The treads on my car tires had begun to wear through. I prayed for God to reveal his mighty resurrection power. Well, that's not really what I prayed. What I really prayed was, "Lord, I need new tires. Please give me new tires." No sooner had I spoken the words than the left front tire blew out. God had allowed it to die. This was scary for me because in my human mind I wanted the new tires without the death of the old ones. But that is not how resurrection power works. It can't be raised to new life (quickened) unless it first dies (I Corinthians 15:36).

And God gave me new tires.

One day while I was at work, my wife called me. "Honey, the clothes dryer is on FIRE." After making sure that the right people had been notified, I hung up the phone and began dancing around the office with a big smile on my face. My boss wondered what had happened. I told him that we were getting a new dryer! Then I explained that God had allowed our old dryer to die, which could only mean one thing (since we obviously needed a clothes dryer), we were going to get a better dryer!

And, of course, we did.

When my job died, I wasn't so happy about it. I prayed the prayers of prolonging for months, but things at work just got worse. The dying was being dragged out. I was scared that one day I would arrive at work to find that we were permanently closed. Oh, how I worried and prayed. And, I sent out resumes and more resumes. But no hope came. Then just when I was as terrified as could be, God made a way through death. That job died, and a new and better one sprung up in its place.

God has full confidence in his resurrection power. Because of this confidence, he often will let that which we want or need the most to be taken away from us. He lets it die in order to answer our prayers. And he gives us a new life, a new job, a new set of tires.

So, maybe we need to stop praying for the situation to keep going.

Maybe we need to have more faith in God.

And pray for something new.

I'm going to write up this note not to be critical, but rather to point out this glaring inconsistency which plagues our churches. Colossians 3:16 tells us that the songs we sing "teach us." The problem is that some of our songs are teaching heresy, and we as a church are singing them without any thought for what they're actually saying.

First, we sang "One Thing Remains" which is positively awesome. It is a song clearly rooted in New Testament truth, and it sings forth this truth in FAITH.

"Higher than the mountains that I face

Stronger than the power of the grave This song looks BACK to the Cross and Resurrection

Constant through the trial and the change This song talks about God's constant love

One thing remains

One thing remains

Your love never fails it never gives up it never runs out on me

Note that in this song, God is the initiator. That he is generous, loving, kind.

On and one and on and on it goes

It overwhelms and satisfies my soul This song teaches that God's love in Christ is sufficient.

And I never ever have to be afraid

One thing remains

In death and in life I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love

My debt is paid there's nothing that can separate my heart from your great"

Note again, my debt is paid, nothing can separate me from God's love

Isn't that wonderful? In faith, we sing about the work of the Cross, God's constant love, the debt that's been paid, and how great God is. God is worshiped and his people are edified.

Then, we sang "Fall in This Place." This song was clearly written with an Old Testament mindset. It calls for God to do things which He has already done. It is, therefore, full of doubt. It does NOT believe the New Testament truths of Scripture which claim that God has ALREADY finished the work.

There were many people who were stretching forth their hands to God during this song. Pleadingly, though, not thankfully. That is sad seeing how that in Christ, God "has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3), and we are not lacking any good thing. Here are those lyrics:

"Take me to the place lord

Where there’s nothing else but me and you We are already in that place. Christ is our life.

Longing for your presence Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. His presence "NEVER leaves nor forsakes us."

I know that you are calling me to you If you are saved, God is NOT calling you to himself. He did that already.

Pre chorus

Here I stand

And long for your embrace This is a very common cry of the carnal Christian who walks by sight & feelings

Nothing else

Could ever take your place

Chorus

Come holy spirit The New Testament clearly teaches in Acts 2 that the Spirit came already. Live it by faith.

Fall in this place

I need more and more of you God has already given you the Son & the Spirit. You don't need more of God.

Fill me again with the power of your spirit We do need to walk in fullness, but this is achieved thru faith not doubtful pleading.

Lord i’m crying out for

More and more of you This would be more New Testament if it read, "I'm yielding more of myself to you."

Bridge

Lord i’m crying out for

More and more of you (oh)"

This second song literally made my wife cry. It puts the children of God in the place of beggars. It's underlying tone is that God gave stingily when he gave at the Cross and when he poured out the Spirit in Acts. It walks by sight and feelings, not by faith. It pleads with God to do what he has already done.

An Old Testament Levite might sing this song, but not a post-Resurrection believer. Do you know that when the Spirit "fell upon" the early church, the same Greek word is used for when the Father "fell upon" the returning prodigal son? It is the word for embrace. God has already embraced the church and HE HAS NEVER LET GO.

We ought to thank God for his great love, as the first song does, not plead with him to show his love, as the second song does. We ought to be worshiping God for his finished work, not pleading with him to do more.

These songs are teaching us older believers, and they are also teaching young believers who are learning about God through them. Are they learning the right things?

What do the songs teach in your church?

One of the recent thoughts that came trickling through my head was about the recent increase of mutant abilities on TV and in the movies. Sometimes things are right in front of your face, so close that you don't see them. And, sometimes, you stop and say, "Wonder what that's about?"

Alphas, the 4400, Misfits (in England), X-Men, the Invisible Man, the Incredibles, and the list goes on and on. Each of these shows is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things after receiving extraordinary powers.

Think of it as a false anointing.

Think of it as Joel 2:28 gone horribly wrong. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:"

In the News:

"We've been hearing reports of mass healings, resurrections, and walking through solid walls."

"Today, a middle-aged man was witnessed walking on the waters of Galilee."

"What you're saying, Phillip, is that you were in one place, and then without any passage of time, you found yourself in a totally different city? Almost as if you had teleported there?"

"I saw it; he called down fire from heaven!"

"As we were watching, He ascended up into the clouds!"

"He just spoke to me, and I was blinded for 3 days!"

We're not sure when, but soon, the final outpouring of the Spirit will take place. Miracles will increase among believers. Not to mention the two witnesses of the book of Revelation will show up in Jerusalem. One will call down fire, one will bring the plagues of Egypt. It will be a crazy time. And, it will be televised.

So, my thought is this: Maybe the world is being pre-conditioned so that when these things start happening, nobody gives glory to God. Mighty signs and wonders are now mutant abilities or latent super-human genes that are finally expressing themselves. It's all about man, not God.

The deceiver has been patiently preparing false documentation to weaken God's greatest arguments.

What do you think?

We went to church yesterday and heard a sermon on Gideon. The speaker was fairly eloquent, very emotive, and the altar was filled at the invitation. There was even some wailing from a poor soul at the altar.

With all the Amens! and laughter, and Bible verses, why was I sitting there thinking to myself, "Huh? What?"

Unfortunately, too many very able preachers are not rightly dividing the Old Testament from the New Testament. Instead, they are bringing Old Testament principles into the New Testament, OR, when New Testament principles are present in the text, they're missing them.

What am I talking about?

The preacher spoke on Gideon, and one of his points was about this verse:

"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." (Judges 6:12)

Note that phrase, "Thou mighty man of valour." The preacher said that the angel of the LORD was telling Gideon "what he would be." He said that God sees us hiding in the vineyard (inside a building) threshing our wheat (which should be done outside in the wind). He sees us in our frailty and weakness, but he knows what we could be...what we should be.

HOLD IT. Say what?

Listen, when God tells a believer that he has "overcome" (1 John 2:13, 14; 4:4), that does not mean that he will, it means that he HAS. I really wish that the preacher would have said something like this:

"Christian, when you accepted Christ Jesus as your Saviour, you got ALL of heaven with him! All of God's grace, all of God's treasures, all of God's power! He that has the Son has Life, and he has everything else necessary for life and godliness! You are a child of God, not just a mere man. You are grafted into the Vine of God's own nature! You have overcome! You have died to sin, self, and the world, and you have been raised to live above the trials of this life!

But the battle is for your mind. Satan is a liar, and he comes to convince you otherwise!

So, don't just put on the helmet of salvation...realize that you can't ever take it off! Don't just put on righteousness, realize that if Christ dwells in you, you are the very righteousness of God! It's a gift. Live it by faith.

Gideon, you ARE a mighty man of valor because GOD SAID SO! You are that NOW. HERE. In the PRESENT! It is not a work to be accomplished or a dream to be achieved. It is an IDENTITY to be believed."

Identity, Christian, is WHO YOU ARE. HERE AND NOW. You are light. You are joined with God. You are one with the Eternal. You are delivered, holy, and you are sitting far above the battlefield, far above the enemy, and far above the strife. You are sanctified, redeemed, spotless, and glorified.

It's a faith thing. If you believe it, you are. If you don't believe it, you aren't. Either way, you're right.

I am tired of New Testament preachers shouting, "Charge!.... Climb that hill! ... Take that mountain!" Christ Jesus did that stuff already. Now, we enter into rest.

Are you resting in Christ's finished work? Are you resting in your new identity? Are you a mighty man of valor?

Or, do you just hope you will be some day?

My Response:

Here it is:

As a young believer, I was taught to walk the aisle, confess my sins, rededicate my life, and that somehow by re-doubling my efforts, I could be a better Christian. In the book of Judges, the nation of Israel sinned, experienced suffering under the ungodly Philistines, repented of their sins, rededicated themselves to God, and then what? They fell into sin again. They repeated the cycle over and over as a nation. This is life under the Old Testament with its self-effort and failure. This is religion imploring us Christians to commit ourselves to live better, walk with God more, and check off the list our actions of obedience: had a quiet time, read the Bible, went to church, etc.

But this is not the teaching of the New Testament. Paul did not set his vision in Philippians chapter one. Rather, he declares his “earnest expectation” and his “hope” (Phil. 1:20, KJV). Not his goal. Not his purpose. In 1:6, Paul tells the Philippians, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” It is God’s work in them that Paul was confident of, just as he was confidently expecting God to work out in his own life “all boldness” (v. 20). He was not talking about a personal vision, but the “fruit” (v. 11) of being in a right relationship with God through Christ.

The command to “live for Christ” does not occur in the New Testament, and yet it is preached from the pulpit of many churches. God never asks us to live for Christ. He asks us to believe that we have died with Christ, and that we have been raised again in Him. Paul declares this plainly, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Or, as Paul tells the Philippians in 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

The reason that Christians fail in their commitment to Christlikeness is because no one can live the Christian life. Failure is the only option for those who seek to follow God in their own strength. Some, who have a stronger will, or who are more naturally pleasant, will give the appearance of Christlikeness, but their own inner guilt and self-condemnation will betray them. Their walk is merely a portrayal of what they think is Christ and not the very life of Christ lived out in the Spirit within them.

As this pertains to Christian businessmen, I would say that Christianity is not about morality. It is not about right and wrong. It is about life, and more specifically, it is about Christ’s life living through you. As you “yield your members” (Romans 6:13) to the Spirit of God, He will cause the fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) of righteousness to be evident in your life. Honesty and propriety (I Cor. 13:4-8) in business will naturally flow from your heart, not as an overwork but as an overflow. And, the glory will go to God, not to your own fleshly efforts.