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Sep 01 2017
1

Be Filled With the Spirit

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“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

 

So, have you been filled with the Holy Spirit yet? Do you think it may be a little abrupt to start off with such a question, especially when there are so many other important topics in the Bible? The apostle Paul didn’t think so. That was the first question he asked the disciples he found in Ephesus.

 

“He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2).

 

Evidently, it must be of the utmost importance for a saint of God to be filled with the Spirit for Paul to immediately ask this question. So again I ask, have you received the Spirit since you believed? I know some teach that you get all the Spirit you are going to get upon salvation. If that were true, then Paul would not have asked them this question. If that were so, then the elders in Jerusalem would not have sent Peter and John to lay hands on the new believers in Samaria that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

One day I was talking with another preacher about being filled with the Spirit. He then asked me, “How can you just have some of the Spirit?” I could not give him a suitable answer that day, but I do know the Bible speaks of this second work of God referred to as the baptism of the Spirit or being filled with the Spirit. Most of us know that baptism means immersion, so the baptism of the Spirit means an immersion into or of the Holy Spirit. Who can explain it? We don’t have to be able to explain something for it to be true. Who can explain the triune God? Who can explain that God always was? It is very clear in the Bible that Jesus commanded His disciples to wait until they receive this baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit before they went to make disciples of nations. The reason is because you can’t win souls unless you have an enduement of power from on high.

John 20:22 teaches us that the disciples received at least a measure of the Spirit when Jesus breathed on them.

 

“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22).

 

What happened to those disciples when the resurrected Jesus came into their room that day is similar to what happened in the second chapter of Genesis.

 

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).

 

Just as God breathed into the nostrils of Adam and he became a living soul, Jesus breathed on His disciples and their spirits came alive. They were the first people to be born again. They were the first to be a brand new creature. Adam was born on earth, the disciples were born from above. Adam was earthly, the disciples were heavenly. In the garden, flesh was born, in that room with Jesus, the spirit was born. Hallelujah! Fifty days later they became filled with the Spirit. May I remind you that ALL of those 120 were filled with the Spirit that day? That tells me there was not a wolf or goat in the room. There was only wheat, no tares. Since there was both men and women in the room it teaches us that the baptism is for both men and women. Since there were more people than just the apostles, it teaches us that all believers can be filled with the Spirit, not just ministers. Acts 2:4 says, “And they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost….” That Spirit-filled church in the upper room is our ideal pattern. Do you believe the church can be like that again?

Jesus commanded His disciples to go and wait in Jerusalem until they receive power from on high. Before Jesus ascended to heaven he told His disciples:

 

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

 

The disciples may have thought they were ready to take the gospel to the world, but Jesus knew that going forth with head knowledge, convincing arguments and eye witness reports was not enough. They needed a special power that can only come from the Spirit of God. Jesus said He needed to go so the Spirit could come. Peter could have said to those in that upper room something like this. “Now gang, you all know that Jesus told us to go and preach the good news, but now He wants us to hang around in this room. Doesn’t Jesus see that there are souls going to hell every minute? Doesn’t He see the urgency of the hour? What are we hanging around in this upper room for? We walked with the Lord, we know what to say to the lost.” We know Peter did not say such a thing. The disciples obeyed the Lord and assembled in that upper room in one accord in prayer. If there was anytime lost in the work of evangelism while they were waiting in that upper room, it was made up for in a few moments on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit came and baptized those 120. Peter preached a scorching message under the anointing of the Spirit and 3000 souls were saved.

Bible teachers have taught that the filling of the Spirit is needed for a lot of different reasons. I am not going to get in a dispute over that, but Acts 1:8 does teach us that the primary purpose of being filled with the Spirit is to have power to be a witness. Just a little side note here. Did you know that one of the meanings of the Greek word that witnesses is translated from means martyr? To be this kind of witness, you definitely need power.

I think it is pretty clear that if we are going to be effective “witness” for the kingdom of God, then we must be filled with the Spirit. Paul said don’t be drunk with wine. Don’t be under the influence of alcohol, but be filled with the Spirit and be under the influence of the Spirit. You may not think it is that important for you to be filled with the Spirit, but it is imperative for the lost. Anyone who preaches to them needs to be filled with the Spirit. When a Spirit filled believer ministers, then it is the Spirit of God bringing the conviction and the revelation. When a person preaches without being filled with the Spirit then they are just preaching a logical message to try to convince the mind of men. It takes the Spirit of God to minister to the spirit of men. It is the Spirit who gives life. If you want your message to be full of life, then you have no option, but to be filled with the Spirit. “HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED?

Aug 18 2017
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About Denominationalism

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“Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul” (I Corinthians 1:12-13)?

 

Before I even get started on this article, I want to respectfully say that this article is not meant to bash ministers or churches who are members of denominations. Just as Jesus spoke of His disciples being in the world but not of it, in like manner, you can be in a denomination just not of it. You are of Christ. My hope, through this article, is to convey that the Bible is sufficient, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to order a body of believers to come together and have all the accountability, leadership, unity and order to function in a true New Testament fashion. I even asked myself, “Is it necessary to put out such an article? Won’t this just alienate me from ministers and saints who belong to a denomination?” Then I realized as I have done so often, if I can’t talk open and honestly about such things amongst the body of Christ, when and where can I? Should I go instead and complain to the world?

I want to note that when I refer to denominationalism, I am also referring to all groups who organize like a denomination, but prefer to use a different term to describe themselves. For the sake of convenience, I will use the word denomination throughout the remainder of this article.

Now as I get started you saw in our text, that Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” The answer to that is, of course not. However, the church sure is. Some years back, in one of my articles, I stated that there are over 900 denominations in America. As I think about that statement, I have to yield to the fact that we can’t really know how many there are. A few websites say there are over 30,000 Christian denominations in this world. In America, the Baptist Church is the largest protestant denomination. Wikipedia gave a list of all the different Baptist denominations there are in America. I counted seventy nine of them. So we just don’t have differing denominations, but also differing factions inside one denomination. Hold back your criticism, you members of the Pentecostal / Charismatic churches. I counted thirty two different denominations in your ranks. One question looms large in my mind; “How can a people, who all say they read and believe the same book (the Bible), be so divided?”

Have you saint of God, grown so accustomed to denominationalism that you never bother to consider if it is even biblical? I know it seems the norm for the church. Have you ever asked, “Where in the Bible does it teach or promote denominationalism?” If we are honest, which we believers have no choice but to be, you will have to agree that you cannot find a scripture that teaches that we should create such organizations. In fact the opposite is true. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for picking favorites and identifying with a specific group (“I am of Paul; I of Apollos…”). Are you of Wesley, are you of Luther? Do you follow the ways of the Anabaptists or the Puritans? Is your religion Grandma and Grandpa’s style? Or are you of Christ? Are you a follower of Christ? Is the Bible your rule of Authority?

I am sure you surmised by now that I and the church I shepherd, do not belong to any denomination. Churches of the sort that I pastor are usually called non-denominational or independent. (I like to refer to my church as “dependent,” dependent on the Holy Spirit.) Even using these terms can take on a denominational feel as well. Why do we have to have labels anyway? Why do we look for another way to identify ourselves other than to have our identity in Christ and have the word of God as our authority? I ask you, why is it that the churches who incorporate seem to be the norm and those churches who don’t are considered illegitimate? I get it that there are a lot of troublemakers in the church who have rebelled against denominational authority and started their own little “us four and no more” non-denominational church. When I was a young believer, I used to think that those who were in non-denominational churches were all rebels. I have learned there are plenty of rebels to go around. They aren’t just in the non-denominational churches, but the denominational ones as well. In fact, there is very powerful politics in some, if not many, denominational churches. I have even heard a story from several people, of a high official in a denomination who openly lied to a church body. He did it for the sake of the denomination’s interests. That is what politicians do. Politicians lie, men of God promote truth, no matter the cost. Ministers do not have to lie to keep the saints faithful, but church politicians often lie to keep their denominational agenda on course. I am not saying that ministers who are good strong leaders in their church are a part of church politics, for I assume many are not. However, it is heart breaking to see the church operate like a political machine.

So what is the solution? Can we the church, really come together in love and unity, with true leadership in place and let the word of God truly be our final authority? Can we exist together without having to draft bylaws and corporation papers? Can we all really be members of a church body without having to take several classes and then sign a membership card? Absolutely, positively we can and we must. It starts with believing that it is God’s expectation for His church to be united as one body and then determining in your heart to see it happen in our generation. Again, all Christians will say they agree that there is only ONE body, but our hundreds of denominations tattle on us. They testify that we don’t believe what we say.

 

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:3-6).

 

Seven times you see the word “one” in this verse. What don’t we get about that? What we all need to do is quit saying that we believe the word of God to be our final authority and simply let it be. That means that every Christian who belongs to a denomination, as I said earlier, must refuse to be of it.

I have asked some people if they are a Christian. It is not unusual to get an answer like, I’m Catholic, I’m Baptist or I belong to such and such a church. Let me ask you. Do you really believe the word of God? Are you, saint of God, willing to believe the whole truth as the Spirit reveals it to you, even at the expense of being cut off by your church or denomination? How about you, ministers of God? Are you willing to face losing your credentials, if that is what would come about if you were to preach a truth that is contrary to what your denomination believes? I know of some ministers who left their denomination and lost their retirement all for the sake of preaching the truth. What do you love more, your denomination or the truth of God? If we would dare believe the truth, our denominations would be considered irrelevant overnight.

Aug 04 2017
0

Learning By Revelation

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“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

 

Some Christians are afraid of the word “revelation.” The devil is glad of that. The devil understands that we learn Christ through revelation not intellect. I understand why some wince a little when they hear the word “revelation.” We have had our share in the Christian community of those who declare to us that they received a new revelation from God. In the early 1800’s, Joseph Smith claimed to receive new revelation and today we have the Mormons. Whenever someone claims to receive a revelation, that is contrary to the word of God, you can be 100 percent certain that it is false and you must without hesitation run from it. However, just because there are those who claim they have new revelation, does not cancel out that Christians can receive revelation from God. Yes, even centuries after the books of the Bible were compiled, God still does reveal himself to mankind.

The word “revelation” is translated from a Greek word meaning “a disclosure.” It is like taking the cover off of something so you can see what it is. Whatever it is that is being revealed or disclosed, is there already, you just need to see it. It is the same with God and His word. God is, and He has never changed. His word is settled in heaven. Revelation from God gives man the ability to see this great God and to understand His word.

Millions of people who claim to be a Christian, think they are saved because they have an intellectual understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for them. They think they are saved, but have only come to believe with their natural understanding that Jesus died to save them from their sins. My whole life from about five or six years old, until I got saved at twenty seven years old, I believed that Jesus was the Son of God and that He died on the cross to save me and take me to heaven. Yet I was as lost as the next guy. It wasn’t until the Father was revealed to me that I had the ability to believe Him with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Believing in God with just your mind is not good enough.

 

“All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him” (Luke 10:22).

 

When you read the gospels you read how the disciples, at different times, received revelation from God. In the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, we read where Peter made His confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus responded by saying “…Flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my Father, who is in heaven.” Up to this time Peter may have had a general understanding of this truth, but it wasn’t until the Father revealed it to Peter that he could make such a bold declaration. You could say in a sense, that this truth became his. Today, our Heavenly Father is still revealing things to us. Not new things, but eternal things that have been there from the foundations of the world. The Father wants to reveal things to you, dear saint of God. He wants, through the Holy Spirit, to reveal the word of God to you. The Bible says that the natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit. It takes the Spirit of God to open one’s eyes to the truth of the word of God. Revelation comes by the Spirit of God. Without the Spirit, there is no revelation.

There is a work that the Holy Spirit constantly wants to do for each of you, if you will let Him. HE WANTS TO REVEAL CHRIST TO YOU. Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17). Paul prayed this prayer for saved people. This makes it clear that God wants to continually reveal Himself to us.

Today, so many Christians are drawn to academia. They would rather hear nice outlined teachings than listen to a message that comes forth with conviction and power and speaks to the spirit of man. It seems more and more Christians consider a sermon delivered by Spirit filled preachers as legalism. People hate conviction, including some Christians. Some of our big name Bible teachers draw from their intellect, but carry no anointing. May I even dare to say, some of them may not even be saved. They have a head full of knowledge, but have never had the word of God laid open to them by the Spirit of God. It is the anointing that makes a minister effective.

It is the anointing that makes you effective. No doubt, God gives a higher intelligence to some people. If you are one of them, I challenge you to use it for the glory of God. Just remember, you need the Spirit of God working through you, if your words are going to go any further than just the minds of people. The word of God will never become life through understanding words alone. “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (I Corinthians 4:20). Words are cheap. Men are liars. “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” Therefore, let GOD SPEAK.

 

“But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12).

 

The great Apostle Paul, who was an incredible intellect, declared that what he received didn’t come through men’s teaching, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Whether you realize it or not, anything you have learned of the word of God that got deep into your heart was through revelation and not by man.

 

“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (II Corinthians 3:6).

 

One of the reasons we have a backslidden church here in America today is because many of those who minister to her, lack the Spirit and therefore can only preach and teach the letter of the law. Ministers kill the church preaching the letter without the Spirit. Without the Spirit revealing the word of God, the Bible just becomes a book of principles to live by, a mere instruction manual. Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). The religious leaders searched the scriptures, but never found eternal life because they refused the revelation from the Spirit. They wanted the written word of God, but not the living word of God. They accepted the scriptures, they thought, but refused Jesus, who is the Word.

Saint of God, seek out the Lord with all your heart and he will give you continued revelation of His word and His greatness.

Jun 29 2017
1

God Said

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GOD SAID

By: Terry Fischer

 

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).

 

January of 2017 marks the fifteenth year I have been a pastor. I have ministered in the same church all these years. Without much thinking, I can tell you the one thing I have stressed more over the pulpit than anything, and that is the need for the saints to read the word of God. I believe I have preached and taught every main fundamental truth of the Bible numerous times, yet there is nothing I have mentioned more than the need for every believer to read the WHOLE word of God for themselves and read it regularly. Let me add, there is one more thing I probably mentioned as much and that is the need for the saints to have a real quality prayer life.

The third verse of the whole Bible has these two words, “God said.” That dear saint of God, is where discipleship must start for us all. If you have been a believer for awhile and you have not started with what God has said, then you can just delete what you have learned and start from the beginning. The reason there is such a lack of like-mindedness today amongst God’s people is because when people get saved they are taught more of what man says than what God says. They are taught man’s version instead of the Spirit of Truth’s version of what God says. Imagine what a powerhouse the church could and would be today if she lived by what God said.

The Holy Bible is what God said. It is a record of the words that God has said. You can be certain that He is still saying those words and that they still speaks into the life of the believer today. There is one very disappointing thing that I have discovered through the years and that is the infrequency that professing Christians read their Bible. There are numerous, probably more than fifty percent of Christians, who have not read the whole Bible all the way through. Not that they would have to read it in chronological order, but that over a few years would have managed to read all the books of the Bible. There are Christians who have given little, if any, attention to the Old Testament. Paul, in referring to the Old Testament said, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (I Corinthians 10:11). If you believe what Paul said, you should be eager to read the Old Testament, in which are the very books Paul was referring to,that has so many examples for us to learn by.

The lack of Bible reading leads to a lack of spiritual knowledge and wisdom. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6). David craved for the word of God and believed every godly man delighted in the word of God, even when it seemed to be more of the law than anything else. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

Christian, you are fooling and depriving yourself if you think that it is not that important to be in the word of God daily. It should not be something you have to be legalistic about, it should be something you desire to do. If you don’t, then you need to make a commitment to discipline yourself to have a determined time that you will read the word every day. You may miss a few days here and there. You may get a little behind, but nonetheless, you are reading your Bible. I hate legalism in the church, but I do see the need and value for a disciplined life. After all, doesn’t everything we do in life require some discipline? Some more, some less?

Reading the word of God is not sufficient in itself. You must believe that which you read. You must believe it truly is the word of God. Even then, that still is not enough. You have to read it with the desire or at least the willingness to be changed by it. One of my favorite quotes is from a Chinese man, Brother Yun, who was put in prison for his faith. He said, “No one can ever really understand the scriptures until they are willing to be changed by them.” How true it is. If a person is not willing to be changed by the word, then he has to be reading the word with a hard stubborn heart. He has to refuse to open his heart to let the Spirit of Truth work in his heart to change him from a carnal to a godly man.

It is amazing to me, in a bad way, when I hear of people who have been Christians for many years and they tell me they have not yet read the Old Testament. A man, who was a deacon at one time, told me that he was reading the Old Testament for the first time in his life. Don’t get me wrong, I was so glad that he was determined to read it, but it made me wonder how does someone become a deacon and they haven’t even read their whole Bible?

Saint of God, I can’t say it enough. YOU NEED TO READ YOUR WORD; YOU NEED TO EMBRACE THE WORD; YOU NEED TO EAT THE WORD. And then let it do the work it does. Fools reject and doubt the word of God. But for believers, THE WORD IS LIFE. If you don’t read the word for yourself, then you will fall prey to believing what people tell you it says. Even worse, they will tell you what they think it means. If you read the word for yourself, the Spirit of Truth won’t tell you what He thinks it means, He will tell you what it does mean. If all Christians would submit to the truth of the word of God as the Spirit of Truth reveals it, denominationalism would collapse overnight. There would come an unbelievable unity to the body of Christ as we would all come to “speak the same thing.” Denominationalism is accepted as the norm in the Christian church today. Denominationalism is not a biblical principle. It is accepted, not because saints read and believe their Bibles, but because Christians don’t! For the most part, when someone gets saved, they are brought into the denomination of the person who led them to the Lord, and there they stay for the rest of their lives. Never questioning what the church believes. Never honestly checking it out to see if everything the church believes lines up with the word of God.

May 19 2017
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Unless it Dies

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“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24).

 

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

 

Modern Christianity does not like the message that is declared in these verses of scripture. Many Christians today want smooth words, they want the easy path and they want the assurance of things above, while they yet have their affections set on the things here below. They don’t want to hear about dying. After all, isn’t salvation about life? Yes indeed it is, but it is life in the Spirit that salvation refers to. If there is going to be spiritual life, there has to be death to the carnal life.

That is what Jesus was talking about when He said, the “corn of wheat” must die if it is going to bring forth fruit. You see, a seed when it is planted in the ground, if the conditions are suitable, will bust open and the plant will begin to take root. It was the brokenness of the shell of the seed that resulted in the plant to start growing. If the seed were to stay intact and just lay there on hard ground, or be buried in dry ground, then there would be no growth.

Jesus is applying this principle of the seed to our lives. He is teaching us that if we want to produce life and we want there to be fruit, then we too must be like a seed that must die and break open. Again, I will say that there are not to many believers who want to hear this kind of talk. The ones who do are those who desire to bring forth the life of God and the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. The order for that deliverance of mankind is first the crucifixion of Jesus, His death on the cross, His burial in a tomb and then His resurrection from the dead. There has to be a death for there to be a resurrection. First, there has to be a surrender, then the victory. First must come humility, then an exalting. We humans are used to it being the other way around. We see first the life of a baby at birth, and then later a death of that person. Just as each of us was born, then later we will face death. Some baby’s die just moments after they are born, some go on to live to a hundred years old and even longer. The principle of spiritual life is the opposite. First is the death, then comes the life. First, we humble ourselves and die to self, which is what it means to being crucified with Christ, then flows the life.

Some may ask, “If what you are saying is true, then how could we ever get born again? How could I possibly know as a heathen, that I have to die to self if I want to receive a brand new spiritual life?” Those questions are not that hard to answer. When a man does get born again, it was because he did humble himself and recognize he was a sinner and that he had a need for a Savior. He humbled himself to such a point that he surrendered his life to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Though he did not die a physical death, he died to the life he was living. When this is genuinely done, it is then a person is born again. I know modern Christianity teaches that if a person repeats a sinner’s prayer and understands with their intellect the message of salvation, that they then become a Christian. That may be true if they are joining a social club or a religion that just calls themselves Christians. Christianity is not a religion to belong too. You can religiously follow Christ. You can enjoy the social benefits of belonging to the true body of Christ, but a person only becomes a true Christian when they are BORN FROM ABOVE.

Another may ask, “If my previous life of a sinner has died, how come I still have some impulse and desire to sin? Doesn’t Galatians 5:24 say, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts?” Yes, our affections and lusts have been crucified with the flesh, however Paul goes on to say, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:25-26). If Paul says, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory…,” then evidently that old flesh is still hanging around that presses on us to be desirous of vain glory. The crucified life is a life we have to choose to live every day. You know why? Because your flesh and my flesh are still alive. We will not lose all desire to sin until this body is forsaken and we are given a new glorious body. In the meantime, you must reckon your flesh dead. That means to consider that your flesh is dead, even if it is demanding your attention. When your flesh rises up in all its ungodly attitudes and immoral thoughts, you must ignore it. You must resist those desires that are contrary to the life of purity and holiness. The Bible tells us to take all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Therefore we can. Therefore through the power of the Spirit, we can reckon that old flesh crucified.

 

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

 

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12:25).

 

Do not give your ear to religion that tells you that there is no sacrifice involved in being a Christian. Refuse to hear those who tell you that there is no cost on our end. Without question, Jesus paid the debt for our sin, He finished it on the cross. He forgave us of our sins so we could enter into a relationship with Him. Now that we are in that relationship, we are called to willingly hate and lay down our carnal life. It is then that “we shall keep it unto life eternal.” If you want to gain life, you must be willing to lose it.

The reason that life is so boring and even difficult for some Christians is because they have refused to surrender their old life. They are trying to hang onto it, thinking that they can yet find some value and satisfaction in it. They refuse to lay down the very life that Jesus died and rose from the dead to rescue them from.

 

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

 

The choice is yours. What life will you choose? Do you want the carnal life or do you want spiritual life. Do you want to experience spiritual life right now, not just when you get to heaven? Then let the seed of your life die.

Apr 21 2017
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Christ Must Have The Preeminence

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One of the most glorious portions of scripture, when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, is found in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

 

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:13-18).

 

The last word we see in this portion of scripture is the word, “preeminence.” It is translated from the Greek word proteuo which simply means to be first (in rank and influence). So to state it very simply, for Jesus Christ to have preeminence, He must be first in our life in every way. He must be first, before our family members, even our spouses. He must be first before our careers. He must be first over every interest in this life we might have.

We read in the book of Revelation that the church in Ephesus was commended by the Lord Jesus Christ for their good works and other things that they did. Yet, the Lord warned them that He would remove their candlestick if they did not come back to their first love. Sometimes Christians miss quote Revelation 2:4 by saying the Ephesians have “lost” their first love. What it really says is they have “LEFT” their first love. It is something the believers in Ephesus did on their own, whether they were conscious of it or not. What really happened to these believers is that the preeminence of Christ was fading, even though the work they were doing seemed to be for God.

When you look at the state of the church today, I think it is pretty easy to say that Christ does not have the preeminence within the church as he should. There are so many other things that attract the attention of the saints. One of the biggest reasons I am personally against all the gimmickry, attractions and entertainment that the church offers today, to lure people into their buildings, is because it is promoting and establishing an interest in something other than Christ in the hearts of the unsuspecting lost souls. They are introduced to things that are appealing to the flesh and thus it conditions people to think that the church is there to cater to all their emotional needs. They are conditioned to expect the church to be like a community center, where all social programs are offered. Many years ago one pastor told me that the Lord called him, not to have a church, but to have a life center. I was respectful of the pastor so I did not say anything to him at that time, but I knew that he did not hear from the Lord on that. God has called none other than His church to represent His kingdom. Jesus said that he will build His church, not His life center. You can mark this down, if Christ will again be preeminent in the church, the church will flow with life. Not because it is made into a life center, but because life flows from wherever Christ is the center. Saints, there is not a greater testimony that can be said about any fellowship then when those who enter that fellowship say, “There is life in this place.”

There is one thing I tell couples during marriage counseling. It is the same thing I tell every married couple who will listen to me. I say to them all, “If Christ is the center of your marriage it will be impossible for your marriage to fail.” For it to fail, one or both have to backslide, and if they backslid then, of course, Christ is no longer the center of their marriage. He is no longer the center of their life as well. In all things Christ must have the preeminence.

For the most part, when Christ ceases to have the preeminence in a church, it usually happens in a very subtle way. When ministers and elders, who oversee the church, start putting their focus on other things, then the church will be led away from Christ. Again, this happens in a most unsuspecting way. Most often the intentions are right for the many things that are done in the name of the Lord. However, nothing is really accepted in heaven if it isn’t the will of the Lord. “…Thy will be done on earth as it is IN HEAVEN.” The thing that happens when a work isn’t the will of the Lord, is that the work starts to take precedence in the church and Christ loses His preeminence. On the other hand, if there is a refusal to do the will and work of the Lord, then He has already been denied His preeminence. Whenever the church loses sight of building the kingdom of God, she starts to build her own kingdom. Pastors who lose sight of Christ start building their own little empire, all along thinking they are smack dab in the will of God. They do not realize that they have robbed Christ of His preeminence. Acts chapter six is a good reminder for ministers of what their chief focus should be. “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). If pastors would commit themselves to this simple life of seeking God through prayer and the word, there would be a lot of ministry things that would drop off. There would be a lot less effort by man and much more dependence on the Holy Spirit. There would be a lot more, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This is when Christ is getting the preeminence.

Saints of God, just because you may not be called to the ministry, does not excuse you from being in prayer and in the word of God. Though you may not be afforded the time to often be shut in with God, it is of the utmost importance that you have a daily time of prayer and Bible reading. If not, you will find Christ to not have the preeminence in your life. You will also make yourself more subject to being led away from Christ into and after other things. A life of prayer and a steady diet of the word of God goes a long way in helping every believer to let Christ have the preeminence in all things.

Mar 22 2017
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As The Days Of Noah

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“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).

 

Jesus gave us a huge glimpse of what the last of the last days would be like, by telling us they will be like the days of Noah. All we need to do is go back to the book of Genesis and read about it for ourselves. I want to share eight points with you of some of the similarities that can be found between Noah’s generation and ours.

 

  1. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). Do we not live in the age of grace? We are a people that found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We are the body of Christ. Jesus, our Lord, is full of grace and truth. Acts chapter four says that great grace was upon all the believers. This is what we preach, “The gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
  2. Life will go on as usual. Jesus said there will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the coming of the Lord. I know our world seems to be falling apart. America seems to be heading for disaster. I can sometimes picture the whole world living in terror and poverty, yet to paraphrase what Jesus said, things are going to be like they have been all along. I suppose there will be regions in this world that will suffer worse than others, but for the most part there will be the ongoing of life as usual for many.
  3. Noah knew the flood was coming but the wicked did not. “But ye brethren are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief” (I Thessalonians 5:5). We are children of light, and if we walk in that light, we will have a strong sense in our spirit as the day of the Lord approaches. I think it is the consensus of many Christians today that we are in the last of the last days. Noah was building a ship and every timber he put in place spoke to his generation that judgment was coming, but no one but his family heeded the warning. Saints, do not be surprised if this world will not see the signs of Christ’s return.
  4. Noah had a call. In the midst of such great wickedness, there came a call from God to Noah to prepare for the coming calamity. There came a call to warn his generation to flee from the coming wrath. Church, I believe the call is intensifying every day that we need to put away all that distracts us and preach to our society the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the midst of all the chaos, if you listen, you will hear His voice speaking to you. It’s a voice that does not fit in with this world.
  5. Noah was part of a great minority. There was Noah and his family and then there was the rest of the world. Today, it is the church of Jesus Christ and then the rest of the world. Noah was an outcast in his generation. You could say that he was kind of a strange man, consumed with preaching righteousness and building a huge ship which had absolutely no value to anyone’s eyes except Noah and his family. The church today must be a peculiar people consumed with our Lord Jesus. This minority, you and I belong to, is hated by this world and no government will be passing any laws that demand we be respected and given special rights.
  6. Building the ark was an act of faith. Saints, let this sink in. Noah was building the very thing that would save him. You could say he was working on his salvation with fear and trembling. I am not denying that we are saved by grace and not of works. Salvation is a free gift but Ephesians 2:8 also says we are saved “through faith.” Through means in one side and out the other. For Noah that meant putting the first timber in place and working on that ark until the last bit of pitch was pressed into the joints. For you and me, it means being determined to make it all the way to the end of this path we are walking.
  7. Noah built the ark in the presence of a sin gripped world. One of the signs of the last days is that iniquity shall abound. Babies today are murdered before they ever get out of the womb, not just here in America but all over this world. Sexual sin of every kind is being encouraged and promoted in our generation. Noah built the ark in a time when “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Yet he built the ark to completion. He built something the world never understood. They couldn’t shut him down. Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. Saints, we may be amidst a wicked people but we cannot be shut down. Christ’s church will prevail. She must be a testimony in this generation.
  8. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. According to Peter’s second epistle, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. The word righteousness means equity. Equity means impartiality and fairness. By this definition, Noah didn’t necessarily go around telling everyone how sinful they were. Although I do believe man needs to know he is a lost sinner before he can get saved. What Noah was preaching is the same thing we preach today. He was preaching grace. He was telling his generation that judgment was coming, but they could escape. Come and help build the ark. Whosoever will, come on the ark and be saved from the coming judgment. This must be our cry. We are in the age of grace. God is not impartial. Let us call to all around us and say flee from the wrath to come.

 

One final thought about Noah and the ark. When Jesus walked this earth, there was one concern He had “…Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Jesus didn’t ask if there would be holiness or righteousness or love; He asked if there would be faith. Of course, all these things are wrapped up in faith. When God looked down on men in Noah’s generation to see if He could find faith, He saw a huge ship with no large body of water around. Every time God saw that ark, it was a testimony of Noah’s faith. That ark shouted up to heaven, I BELIEVE IN YOU GOD, I OBEY YOU OH GOD, I LOVE YOU LORD. When Jesus comes will your life be a testimony and a monument of faith that declares I BELIEVE IN YOU GOD?

Feb 11 2017
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The Precious Blood of Christ

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“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; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” ( I Peter 1:18-19).

 

I once heard it said that you never hear preaching on the blood and the cross anymore. I don’t know if that is true or not, for I know I preach both of them. I know that the Jimmy Swaggert Ministries has had a resurgence and he has put quite an emphasis on the “Message of the Cross.” One of my mentors taught me that the cross deals with the flesh and the blood deals with sin. I would have to say that I agree with that. However, they both work together, for it was on the cross that Jesus shed His blood.

I am sure most of us have heard it quoted many times, “For by grace are ye saved…” This verse which is Ephesians 2:8 is often not taken in context with the rest of the Word of God. Technically we are not saved by grace. Hang on now, let me finish. Grace does not save, the blood of Christ saves. Grace is the attitude of God; God’s love toward men that wants to redeem them to Himself, though they are not worthy of that redemption. Grace is what put the plan of God into action that brought forth the death, burial and resurrection of His Son. For the scriptures say:

 

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

 

The blood of Christ is a very powerful force. It can forgive the vilest of sins, the vilest sinner and millions upon millions of the vilest sinners. If confessed, there are no number of sins that can ever overpower the blood of Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. A million times a million sins can never neutralize even one drop of Jesus’ blood.

You can be sure that you and every born-again Christian has been reconciled to God through the blood of His Son.

 

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).

 

The blood of Christ doesn’t just save us, but it also cleanses us. The blood doesn’t just cleanse us, but it keeps us clean. As long as you are abiding in the vine, you will have the protection of the blood.

 

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7).

 

Consider the story of the first Passover. Israel was told that on the fourteenth day of the first month each household had to kill a one year old male lamb that had no blemishes. This, of course, is a type of Christ for He was a male and He indeed had no blemishes. He was the perfect Lamb of God. John the Baptist later said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Then Israel was to take the blood from those lambs and strike it onto the door posts and the mantle of the door. Then they were to stay in their houses until morning and eat the lamb. The Lord said, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13). So that night the death angel came through the camp and every house that had the blood around the door, the death angel passed by. That angel did not go walking into the houses to make sure all the children were behaving. He didn’t walk in and make sure mom and dad weren’t arguing, He didn’t check to make sure everyone was living righteous. He just passed over those houses. That is why it is called the Passover.

In the same way, the blood is your protection and security. If you want to talk about eternal security, this is it, being under the blood. If it wasn’t for the blood, every time you sin you would come out of your salvation. You would then have to renew it. You would live a life of going in and out of salvation. That would be insanity. Instead, we have the blood that keeps us in right standing with God.

Now, if any of the Israelite first born, would have decided to leave their house and go outside to observe what was going on, they would have been struck dead by the death angel. The angel’s only order was to kill the firstborn of every house in the land of Egypt unless there was blood around the door. So if the first born were to leave that place of safety, it was on them. They would have left that safe haven by their own doing. In the same way the blood works for us. If we abide in Christ, we willingly put ourselves under the protection of His blood. Even if we were to sin, His blood would keep us from being condemned. However, when the Spirit convicts us of our sin, we must repent. If we would harden ourselves against God and the conviction of the Spirit, we would eventually get to the place where we have quit abiding in Christ. Once we have done that we no longer get the protection of the blood and then there is no more redemption.

 

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26).

 

When we stay in Christ, His blood works in us as a sanctifying agent. This means that it continues to work on us throughout our whole Christian life. The blood is what makes us positionally holy, while the Holy Spirit works in us to make us progressively holy.

 

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).

 

Let me say one more thing about the blood of Christ. It is a powerful spiritual weapon against Satan. The blood gives us the ability to not just resist the devil, but to overcome him and all his evil temptations.

 

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11).

 

So saint of God, thank the Lord for the blood. Abide in Christ and enjoy the peace and safety the blood supplies. Sing with me: “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.”

 

Sep 30 2016
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The Heart of a Remnant Believer

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“And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3).

 

When Nehemiah heard what condition the remnant of Israel was in, who were living in Judah, he wept and fasted. He was deeply grieved over the condition his brethren was living under. The wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burned with fire. The physical affliction the Jews in Judah were living in is a type of spiritual affliction many sincere believers live in today. I need to tell you that the burden Nehemiah had for his brethren is similar to the burden I have for the church of Jesus Christ, who are my brethren. As Nehemiah was distraught over the remnant in Judah, I too am distraught with the condition that many Christians have to live under. I am not talking about the disintegration of our society here in America, I am talking about the famine of the word of God, and the lack of the Holy Spirit that is in so many churches today.

There are many people in the church today who probably don’t care much if the church is shallow and lacking the presence of God. Some prefer it that way because the presence of God and a strong word brings conviction. However, in many of these churches there is a people, a set apart people, a remnant, who desire a deeper relationship with the Lord. I believe with all sincerity that these remnant believers are some, if not the most neglected people in the church. As we hear so many lectures on how we must accept people and come down to their level, and how we appoint people to greet new faces, the remnant are quietly being ignored. As the emphasis is to preach simple salvation messages over and over again in some churches, the remnant believers are starving for some meat. As you continue to read this article, you may start to see that you may be one of the remnant, if you don’t already realize that.

Remnant believers want more, but so often they don’t quite understand what that more is. People in church around them might seem to be rolling with the flow, but in their own heart there is a dissatisfaction. This lack of contentment in remnant believers can actually make them feel bad for feeling so dissatisfied. They know that they should be more appreciative of what God has done for them. They know they have been saved and washed by the blood of the Lamb. They know they have been given a brand new life and even life more abundant. They know that they ultimately deserve hell, yet they are given eternity in heaven. So they feel bad when they find themselves looking for something more. They sense something is not quite right. Actually, what is really going on in them is that Holy Spirit is being quenched by carnal halfhearted Christians and churches, and the seed of Christ in them wants to bust out and grow. It is hard for any Christian to grow if they are in an environment that discourages growth.

The discontentment that remnant believers have is right and good because it is just a symptom of a longing for a deeper relationship with God. They are appalled with the low life living that is so often being offered. Miller Brewing Company is located in Milwaukee. They make a beer called Miller High Life. Let me tell you friends, drinking beer and alcoholic beverages is not the high life. It is the opposite, it is the low life. It has destroyed millions upon millions of lives. Walk around Milwaukee and see all the drunks wandering around and know that there is nothing high about that life. Knowing the Lord and pursuing a deeper relationship with Him is the high life. Christians live the high life, or at least have the potential to do so.

 

“He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places” (Psalm 18:33).

 

Again I want to say, remnant believers desire something more, but many don’t quite know what it is.  If they are gathered in the midst of the merely religious, the discontentment they may feel is because they desire a closer relationship with God. If they are in a dead church, they desire abundant life. If they are in the midst of doubters, they want to be where there are those of strong faith. If they are amongst those who water down and short change the word of God, they want to be where the truth of the word is elevated and proclaimed.

Today it seems if you desire to live a holy righteous life, there are many so-called Christians who will accuse you of legalism or trying to earn your salvation. If you try to believe the Bible for the simple truth it is and live it out, you have those who say that you don’t understand the Bible correctly because you don’t know the Hebrew or Greek of a word or sentence. I am not against that kind of study, but isn’t our Bible already translated from the Hebrew and Greek for us? I have no problem with looking up these words for a little deeper understanding, but I have never found any word that was translated incorrectly.

Through my experience, I have seen one thing that really stirs the heart of remnant believers. It is coming to the realization of just how true the word of God is. They come to realize the unifier that truth is. They come to realize just how much the truth sets free. Remnant believers are the one group of believers who are truly like-minded. It is because they love truth so much, the Spirit of truth constantly reveals the truth to them; therefore they don’t come up with their own interpretations of the word. They believe the word as the Spirit of truth teaches it. If they believe something in the Bible incorrectly, they have a humble teachable spirit to be corrected. They don’t spit and sputter, trying to hang onto their own interpretation of the word of God. I love when remnant believers get in a discussion on spiritual things and one of them, from a sincere heart, says something that isn’t accurate. Then another remnant believer gently corrects them with a simple application of clear scripture and the attitude of all is, “WELL, THAT SETTLES THAT!” It takes a genuine humble heart to love the truth enough to allow yourself to be openly corrected. That is what is lodged in the heart of remnant believers.

Remnant believers do not need, nor do they want all the fancies and frills, gadgets and gizmos that the church offers today. They may feel a little disconnected with their church when they depend on these things. The remnant can’t seem to quite get on board with these things and they feel they are being a little contentious. What it really is however, is they just want more of the Christ they are being deprived of. They are offered all kinds of carnal techniques to accomplish spiritual things, but all they want is the presence and the power of the Spirit. It is right for remnant believers to want to come out from amongst her. Sometimes they just don’t know how.

This is what is in the heart of remnant believers. ARE YOU OF THE REMNANT SORT?

 

 

Aug 21 2016
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Prayer, The Greatest of Disciplines (Continued)

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In my last article I talked about the need for every believer to develop a disciplined prayer life, and that if you persist in that discipline, it will turn into delight. I also emphasized that prayer is an opportunity to really get to know our God. We need to come into His presence with honor and respect before we start to bombard Him with all our requests. I want to continue with some more important aspects of prayer with hope that every reader will be encouraged and even excited to develop a true prayer life with almighty God.

I told a story in the last article about how I made a New Year’s resolution that I was going to start off every morning with at least five minutes of prayer. I shared how that five minutes of prayer grew to fifteen and even twenty minutes. That was the beginning of my prayer life with my Father. There was another time in my life, back in the mid-nineties when I was sensing the call of God on my life and I was feeling a conviction about my prayer life. I owned a construction business and it was quite consuming. If I wanted any type of extended prayer time in the morning hours it meant I had to rise earlier than normal so I would not be interrupted by phone calls and employees coming over to the house. I worked hard so my sleep was very important. One morning I was down in my basement pacing while I was praying. I was feeling the conviction of God to give Him more of my time in the morning to pray. In my mind I thought an hour of prayer seemed reasonable since Jesus said to Peter, “…couldest not thou watch one hour” (Mark 14:37)? As I was praying that morning I started to reason with God that I would soon be going into the ministry. So I told God that when He puts me in that place of ministry then I will be able to set that time aside to pray. He immediately responded to my comment by saying, “No, you learn to pray first and then you will be ready for the ministry.” Though it was not in audible words that I heard Him, it was loud and clear to my heart. From that day on I understood that I can never serve God and His sheep unless I really know Him and I can’t really know Him unless I talk with Him. From that day I also started an extended prayer life that continues to this day. I am so grateful to God that He helped me with my prayer life because it was only a few years after that in which I became a minister while continuing to run my business all the way to 2011. Through all those years, my mornings were devoted to seek my God and still are to this day. I have told you these testimonies not to boast on my prayer life, but to encourage you. If you are determined to have an exciting, yes exciting prayer life, it is within your grasp.

We have a shortage of praying saints today, yet prayer is one of the most important things we must do. We need saints who will be like the persistent widow.

 

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:1-8)?

 

Jesus told this parable to let us believers know that He desires to answer our prayers, and that we must not give up praying. In real life, if a widow would determine that the judge was never going to avenger her, she would quit pestering him. She would be a fool to get up in the morning and plan a visit to the judge, if she knew that he would reject her plea. To get up and go see that judge everyday would take confidence on her part that the judge would avenge her. Though we can never wear God out, he invites us to go to Him in prayer, like we would to a human being who would eventually give in because of our persistence. Let me interject right here that it isn’t self- centered prayers that God answers, but prayers that are according to His will. If you do pray according to God’s will then He is giving you assurance that He will answer.

There are a many reasons Christians struggle with prayer. Let me give you two reasons.

The first reason is that some Christians haven’t fully committed themselves to the Lord. They are living a carnal life by practicing sin and loving things of this world. It is only reasonable to understand that if a Christian is not in a right relationship with God he is not going to be too anxious to spend time with God. Just as a child who is disobeying mom and she says to him, “Wait until your father gets home,” that child is not excited about Dad coming home. If you are not living a life that pleases God you will tend to hide out from Him instead of longing for His presence. Adam and Eve use to meet with God in the cool of the day until they disobeyed Him, then they began hiding from Him.

The second reason saints don’t pray as they should is because they lack faith to petition God. When I was a kid, almost every time I asked my Dad for a dollar or two, he would give it to me. Since I knew he was willing to give me the money I had no problem approaching him to ask him. I never asked my Dad to give me a hundred dollars because I didn’t believe he would give it to me. The same thing holds true when we pray to God. When we pray to God, according to His will and believing He will hear our prayer, He is more than delighted to answer that prayer. After all, doesn’t He want the will of the Father done? Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:12). I need to clarify again that we must pray according to His will. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done.”

My prayer and hope is that every Christian understands the need to pray, especially in this dark hour we live, and make a determination to have a thriving prayer life with almighty God. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).