Craving

   What do you crave?  Or, do you?  Remember this verse "what things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them", Mk. 11:24?  The word "desire" also means to crave, beg for, require.  Oh, I know, we have heard this verse preached until it runs out of ours ears, but did we get it?  Prayer is based on cravings, not whims, not wishes, and not religious duty words we label "prayer".  Perhaps we have faith, as the verse above this demands we have if we are to speak to mountains, but we don't have desire, cravings, passion.  The true law of successful prayer is that we have faith, but the truth about faith is that if we have it, it stirs up passion and desire and aligns those desires with the Kingdom. It is not humdrum, hohum praying that faith produces.

 

    Ever prayed for anything that you didn't really have a fire in your belly to receive?  Come on now - you know you have.  The cost of things in this covenant with God is that you desire.   It might not be your faith that is the problem but your passion, your cravings.  It could be that you need to relax a bit about faith and ask yourself if your desires are what they should be.  According to Mark 11:23-24, you can have faith, but when it comes to getting answers, you got to have desire.   

     I love a passage in Isaiah that calls us to come and buy "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath not money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price", Is. 55:1.   No passion for the Spirit?  Those who want the Holy Ghost, can have Him if they have the price and the price is simply that they "thirst". (Jo. 7:37-39).   Often God moves, and offers us wonderful things and it seems seasonal. We call it a "move" of God.  It comes like a wave and then seems to go away.  Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think it always works exactly like that.  It comes, we enjoy and get full, and then lose our appetite, our desire, our craving, and the shelf becomes barren. We stand, then, with religious voices and somberly declare "The move is over".   Really?  Is it over or did we lose our appetite, our desire?   I think this is more likely what goes on.  The enemy of our souls doesn't even have to attack our faith.  Just drain our appetite.  Faith without desire leaves you with the mountain still there in front of you.

    What can we do?  The Bible says we can "set" our affections on things above.  To set your affections is to redirect your desires, to intensely interest ones self in something.  You can begin to deliberately interest yourself in the things of God.   The Holy Ghost will help you if you choose to do it. The Psalmist said that if you "delight" yourself in Him, He will give you the "desires" of your heart.  This is not prayer answer, this is holy desire.  The Spirit stirs up and aligns within you righteous desires that become the power of prayer.   The promise of Holy Ghost relationship is not just baptism but baptism with "fire". This is the fire of passion, desire and cravings.    Perhaps this is where your confession might also help.  Start confessing desire, passion and cravings.  All of the month of Febuary, I have stopped asking God for this or than and started crying out "Lord I crave this".   I've been telling Him "I crave souls saved, bodies healed, Holy Ghost outpourings in our meetings, etc.".   I am training myself, when I pray, to make it a plea of passion and not a religious monologue.  "I crave a greater anointing".  "I crave more open doors".  "I crave a home church".  "I crave great ministry for my kids".  "I crave greater strength and total healing".   

    Try it with me.  Pray your cravings.

Riding the Fence

     Ever heard someone say "I'm on the fence about this"?  It means he is torn between two directions.  It means he is doubleminded.  It means he is in the valley of decision.  It means he is going nowhere.  Stay on that fence and soon that fence becomes the platform for your existences.  In politics, this is called a "moderate". And, in truth, a moderate is one with no convictions about anything.  Just a fence rider.  In the Bible this same person is called "lukewarm".  Oh, he can just float either way, so flexible, so non-offensive, so mild.  Problem? God doesn't like this character.  He promised a divine up-chuck, otherwise known as "spew" (King James for up-chuck).

      Fence riders get tangled up in the fence. They can't walk in truly strong faith, or exhibit convictions with fire in them, for they are stuck on the fence. Strong faith confronnts.  Strong Holy Ghost manifestations confronts. And, on the fence, playing both sides means we do nothing to offend one side or the other which means that essentially, we do nothing.  We may look like we are, but in fact we are not.  We tailor, redefine, being creative in our appoach so that we can say we believe, or pretend we are doing, in such a way as to not offened one group or the other.  That, my friend is the condition of much of the church.  Every thing is tailored to please the most and offend the least.  Fence riders!

      We have an idea about Jesus that he is luv-luv-luv, and would never offend.  Yet, He said He came to offend.  I have found that without offending the mind, the spirit seldom wakes up and receives.  Strong faith offends.  Strong Holy Ghost manifestations offend. Good! Good! Good!   This is not a club, this church of Jesus, it is a place where the power and presence of God, the power and presence of the anointing of the Holy Ghost, the power and presence of strong, bold, faith filled preaching will offend, and then it will set free.

      The problem with fence riders is that they eventually become "census" takers. They measure success and strength by the number of heads counted.  David did that once and God was grieved and David was in a heap of trouble  The census takers says "oh look we have a thousand in church".  Of course, he bands with other census takers so they can compare and rejoice over numbers.  When the census takers get big enough, they just self-perpetuate simply on the basis that people are drawn to a crowd.  I had a pastor, who at the time had 6000 plus in three different services tell me "I could have a thousand or two stay home or drop out and I wouldn't miss them. I don't know them anyway".    Is that really a good thing?  When he was small, about 800, I used to go in an preach HOly Ghost baptism.  Not any more.  Too big.  Too much trouble, plus it might offend.    Is that a good thing?

     A lot of folks, even those claiming Spirit-filled, Pentecostal status are riding the fence about being baptized in the Holy Ghsot with speaking in tongues.  They are on the fence about yielding to the anointing, presence and gifts of the Holy Ghost. They want it, but not at the cost of a successful census.  Word to the wise?  Better get off the fence!   What started in a blaze of glory is going to end that way.  The church has not evolved into a fence-riding, lukewarm spectacle.  God will fire it up.  Acts two is the Genesis of the story. It is a picture of what God created and He made no mistake.  Holy Ghost baptism and fire is the ministry of the resurrected LORD!  Will it offend?  Yes, but so be it.  Fire!

integrity

  You know, it seems the word "itegrity" is an obsolete word these days.  Maybe because we have confused its meaning with other challenging words like holiness and purity.  I guess it does fit within the framework of those words but there is something different about it.  To have "integrity" means we are good at our word.  If we say something, we mean what we say and say what we mean.  If we say we will sell something for ten dollars only to find it is worth fifty, we will not change the price, we will sell it for ten.  We gave our word.  If we say we will be somewhere at a certain time, we will be there   We gave our word.  The psalmist says that a man who can come near to God is one that will swear to his own hurt and not go back on his word (Ps. 15:4).   He will keep his word, even to his own hurt.  One of the things we most love about God is that He has integrity.  He is good at His Word.

   There was a time in America, where this was the standard by which we measured men. "He is good at his word" and a handshake was all we needed.  We are a far cry from this in a day where contracts mean nothing.  Even in the church world, integrity has become scarce.   Many are only good at their word as long as they are in earshot.  It is bad enough that we are this way with God, it is worse when we are this way with each other.  Lack of integrity greatly contributes to the crumbling of any society, church or even a marriage.  If we can't trust another to keep his word, we cannot trust him at all.  We say "love you brother", but is that word good?  Do we have the integrity behind those words that make those words meaningful?   Years ago I had lunch with a wealthy business man who declared "I would rather do business with any heathen in town than any Christian I know (in his line of business).  The heathen will usually keep their word, the Christians won't".   What a sad, sad indictment of Christians.  We are the people who are to reflect God and more particularly reflect a God who is good at His word.

   Ultimately, the lack of integrity brings great harm to us in many ways.  One, we soon forget that God is a God of integrity and our faith in Him wains.  He becomes distant, not because He moved, but because integrety is required to come near Him.  Two, we forget that integrity upholds us.  Our confession of faith, of the Word, of the promises of God, of who we are, of who God is, becomes wishy-washy, and then, so do we.  Our confession begins to be only convenient words, not words backed by the power of integrity. We trust no one and no one trusts us.  We can hear the preacher in the pulpit or on television declaring this or that about God, and because of mistrust created in an environment without integrity, instead of "Amen" (so be it), we are more likely to say "maybe".  Because of the lack of integrity, who knows if they mean what they say, or are they using words to manipulate?
     Silver tongued medicine peddlers used words to sell useless cures in a bottle and gain riches.  They were called "snake oil salesmen".  Sometimes, looking on, especially at TV, you get the sense things have changed much. "Send and offering and God will double your blessing".   Shame on snake oil peddlers!   One fellow, still on Tv, went through a messy divorce and never missed a beat, explaining "I wasn't called to be married, I was called to preach".  Of course, he is now remarried. But, why does this happen, why is this so common?  Lack of integrity!  Vows mean nothing, not when the divorce rate in the church is as high as in the world.  The creeping crud has crept up on us and we haven't recognized it yet.  I've heard pastors who step into the pulpit, about every month with a new vision for the church while last months vision is abandoned.  Soon no one knows what the vision is and they begin to perish, in one way or another, without a vision.  I've heard men of God  say they have just "decided" to become a Holy Ghost church.  Of course, it doesn't happen, the people all say inwardly "maybe", but not "amen".  It takes more than a momentary decision to step into the things of God.  It takes integrity between us and God.  He says what He means and means what He says.  Do we?  He expects it.  Interactive grace requires it.  Grace relationship is not just goody ol' God do undersevered goody things for us. It is Him and us, us and Him in partnership.  The Holy Ghost, the "pareclete" is the one called along side to help.  He is our joint-helper.  We are in this together.  We hear His words and He hears ours.  Words are powerful. With them we can bring forth good fruit but with words we can also bring forth evil fruit.  They were never meant to be used to manipulate, to gain advantage, to deceive but that is how they are being used, even in the church.  They were meant to  reflect life and love and honesty and most importantly, a good and faithful God.  Words matter, my friend.  Words matter.
  

Train Your Self To Walk

    So often God does something to us, gives something to us or even allows us to experience something and it is wonderful.  Among spirit-filled Christianity, this is not uncommon at all.  (Of course, others want no experiences and get want they want - no experiences.)   The problem we face, those of us who have God-experiences, is that we don't always do what we should with what we have been given.    I don't think God gives us an experience just so we can say we had an experience.  Every move of God  on a large  or small scale, and every experience we have as individuals,  are meant to be jump-starts, or course corrections, to help us walk in the ways pleasing to the Lord.   If we have an experience, but do not learn to walk in what God has revealed, soon we only have faded memories.  And, we will say with sad voices "the move is over".  Or, we will look backward and arrogantly say "been there, done that".

    Bev and I have been privileged to experience so much of God in the last forty years.  We have moved, just as God promised, from "glory to glory".  We have experienced wonderful things of God.  We have always sought to understand how to walk in what God was revealing in each new level of glory.  Here is how I came to an understanding that I should do that.  As  a young boy, I received Holy Ghost baptism but no one told me how to walk in the Spirit and be filled again and again.  I had to learn it much later. And, I felt cheated.  I spoke in tongues the night I received but it was years later before I did it again.  I was taught that if it happened once that was all that mattered.  So, years went by and all I had was a good memory.   Oh, I had the theology, as did so many others, that I would  speak in tongues (again), "if the spirit moved me".  Of course, He never moved me again. He was waiting for me to walk in what He had already moved and given. Then, in the '60's, I finally realized I was being cheated.  I realized that I could be filled again and again.  I realized that I could speak in tongues at will.  I had been given something wonderful and  I determined I would walk in it and never allow myself to be robbed again. 

     Recovering what was mine was a matter of determining to walk in what was mine.  I had to train my flesh and mind to cooperate. I had to train myself to drink of the Spirit.  I had to train myself to yield my tongue.  And, at first, it wasn't easy.  Disciplining the mind, the emotions, the body, the tongue is not an easy thing, no matter the subject.  But, I did it.  I trained myself and now I pray in tongues more than I do in English.   It is the language of God and of my spirit in communion with God.   In other words, when all this happened to me, it was quite an experience.  I will never forget it.  But, I had to learn to walk in it. And, that took training.

    I have learned, from that time forward, to not be cheated out of the walk with God I am to have.  When Bev and I experienced the wonderful praise teachings of the sixties and seventies, we heard praise was an act of the will and we willed ourselves to praise.  We willed our body to cooperate in lifting hands, dancing, shouting, singing, etc., and sometimes it was a fight to get the body and soul to cooperate, but we did it.   Now, we can't stop doing it.  We walk in praise. When hilarious joy hit us, the first thing I started doing was to search the word to see what to do with this joy.  I wanted to know how to walk in it.  The intitial experience was awesome, as were subsequent ones, as they were for others around us during that time. Yet, many of those folks have long since lost that joy while we have not.  Our experiences, compared to others were not better or worse.   The difference is that we learned to walk in the joy, not just view it as something that happened to us.   We asked God what to do with it and with His voice and His word, He said "rejoice".  That is an over-arching mommand in our covenant with God.  We are to do it always and evermore, and even when persecuted we are to rejoice and leap for joy.  Rejoicing is a way of walking with God. You must yield the emotion of joy, the sound of laughter in order to consistenttly walk in true joy.

      When we look at what God is revealing only as an occurrence, a happening, we make it insignificant and it soon becomes a faded memory.  Our walk with God settles back into whatever it was before and we remain unchanged.  For us, every move of God we have experienced, we are still in. We live it.  We walk in it, having learned that is why it happened was to correct and enhance our Christian walk. God  is continuously  correcting our course, adding to us qualitites that please Him.  We have listened as others say this or that move of God is over and we are saddened.  We know that is not really true.  Oh, the things of God temper out, smooth out, however you might say it, but they are still strong in us  if we have learned to walk in  them.  We went through the praise move of the '60's and still praise.  We went through the deliverance move and we still cast out devils.  We went through the joy move and we still rejoice with unspeakable joy. 

    Much of the secret of walking in the things of God, things He has made real to you, is found in the word "yield".   God may jump start us with a big touch, a big experience, but then if we are going to continue in it, we have to learn to "yield".  This is how you train yourself to walk in the way of the Lord.  We are to yield ourselves as on alive from the grave.  We are to yield the members of our body as instruments of righteousness.  We are to be renewed in our mind and thoughts. And, to whom we yield ourselves to, we become servants.  If you want to speak in tongues again, after your initial experience, you, at some point are going to have to yield your tongue and will to do it.  If you want to walk in great joy, you are going to have to yield your joy, your laugh, your "Ha,ha, ho, ho, hee, hee".  If you are going to really praise God consistently, we are going to have will to do it, on good and bad days.

    The goal is to take what God does, apply it to our life and way of life and do it until we "become".  Success is when we no longer describe ourselves as having "done",  but as being what we do.  I don't praise. I am a praiser.  I don't just worship. I am a worshipper.  I don't just talk in tongues.  I am a tongues talker.  I don't just rejoice.  I am a rejoicer.  It is like learning to swim.  When you are learning, it seems impossible, but when you learn how, you can't not swim. You are a swimmer.  I don't just drink of the Spirit.  I am a drinker.  I have yielded, training myself, until I become what I do.  That is the secret to being changed by the glory of the Lord.  Each successive glory brings opportunity the be changed.

Prosperity Truth

      There is an enormous amount of teaching about the prosperity of the believer and a lot of it is really good and needed.  However, as with any teaching, some of it isn't good and as with any teaching, a whole bunch of us get it wrong, even if the message is right.  A lot of what goes wrong with this teaching comes from a mis-reading of Luke 6:38.  You know, that is the verse that says give and it shall be given, shaken together, pressed down, running over will "men" give to you. Reading this wrong is an error of big proportions. First of all, that verse in context is not about money, but mercy.  It is mercy you give and mercy you get back.  It is as simple a message as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".   It is about horizontal behavior expected of us.  It is not about money!  Not even if we have taken a jillion offerings using this verse, and we have.  This misreading teaches us to give money to men and then expect men to give money back to us.and that is not what the Bible teaches. This is sort of like "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours".   And, that is exactly what we do not want to do. It takes our eyes off God and on to man.  Sooner or later that error is going to choke the life out of us.  

      Many times, in the church world, I have seen people give to the church or the minister and then expect cash back, at some point.  Sounds like this, "I gave to them, or that church, and when I needed it, they let me down, they didn't give back".   God only knows how many have left the Kingdom through disappointment just such as this. And, it came because they were looking to man for divine supply.  I have found that those, who have perhaps unknowingly fallen into this error, when trial comes, come out of it that trial with bitterness for they were looking for men to rescue them.  Perhaps they were not aware of it, and didn't mean it that way, but they were not in fact giving to God, they were giving to man.

        It is true, that when you give to God, when you sow, you will reap a harvest.  However, it is explicitly not money for money. Our giving is actually a part of our interactive relationship with God, otherwise known as grace.  We are involved in His business. We give to Him and He gives to us.   His promise to us in the sowing and reaping passage of Galatians (Gal. 6), is "life everlasting", or manifestations of God.  The promise in the sowing and reaping passage to the Corinthians was not money for money, but "grace" for our money (2nd Cor. 9).  We give whatever we give and for our giving, His promise is "grace", even abounding grace.  His promise is sufficiency in all things, abounding in good works and being enriched to bountifulness.   Don't settle for mere money  when you could have all that!   His abounding grace certainly does involve meeting financial needs, but it is much more than that.  Grace is the involvement of God in the affairs of our life - our whole life.  Sometimes what you need is not more money but the intervention of God in a  certain matter.  Understand, it is not your dollars that brings you bountifulness, but your grace, interactive, involvement with God. You are involved in His business and He is involved in yours.  If it were your money doing this, than the whole thing is no more than buying and selling.  Of course, some have merchandised the gospel and reduced it to that level and that is sad but that is not God's plan for properity.

    There is a condition to this kind of prosperity. All that we give to God, whether it is money, praise, time, service, prayer, worship, etc., is is to be given "cheerfully" (a word meaning hilarious).   It is not just the gift God is looking at, but also how it is given.  I have seen some offerings given that must have irritated God, if He can be irritated. They were just people grudgingly doing their duty.  And, doing it with stingily.  For that matter, I have seen a lot of praise services that were no better.  It is clear, God spews lukewarm out of His mouth. and I have seen a lot of lukewarm stuff being passed off as praise.    It is a "cheerful" and unreserved, abundant giver God loves and responds to with abounding grace.  It is not just giving any old way, but giving hilariously.  Remember, you are not buying and selling the things of God with your giving.  You are interacting with God. When you are giving Him what He asks, beit money or praise, and doing it cheerfully - He is preparing to flood you with grace in return.  Don't look at men for the answer.  God may use men, because He is interacting with other believers and we are all in this together.  But, He may not.  And, He may not use the people you were expecting.  He can drop an answer out of the sky, if He choses.  And, it is His choice, not yours.

Prosperity requirements?  Be a giver. Be cheerful giver. Be a God watcher, not a man watcher.

Behaving Like The Redeemed

      How do you approach God?  Like a lost soul or a redeemed soul?  Behavior matters. Approach matters, especially when approaching God.  We are to come "boldly". That is not brash or arrogant or like a spoiled child.  It is with "joy" we approach God. "therefore the redeemed shall return, and come with singing, unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; And sorrow and mourning shall flee away", Is. 51:11.  You know why a lot of Christians seem to come up short in their faith life, their victorious living life, their intimate life with God?   They approach wrong.  Most of us, most likely, most of the time, when we want something from God  we come weeping, maybe begging, maybe sniveling, maybe complaining "oh woe is me". But,the redeemed come with joy on their face (head).  There is nothing mysterious or super-duper spiritual about that.  It is an approach.  Yet, coming with a joyous attitude brings a like response from above.  You come with joy and lo' and behold - you get joy.  You get the kind of joy that dissipates the heavy and sorrowful thing you were facing. There is no greater expression of faith than "joy".  It is our strength (Neh. 8:10).  It is with "joy" that we draw waters from the wells of salvation (Is. 12:3).  My friend, joy is the bucket that enables you to draw on the resources of God.  Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above all others. That was that Spirit that He said was "upon" him.  That joy was the strength that enabled Him to endure the cross.

     You know that kid ol' Abe and Sarah had?  They named him Isaac, a word meaning "laughter".  Sarah said she did it so that all who hear her story would laugh.  Paul said "as Isaac was" so are we to be in this world (Gal. 4:28).  Little laughing saints!  One of Isaac's claims to fame was that he re-opened the wells of his father.  That is what joy does.  It reopens the wells.  It re-establishes the connection, the intimacy.  It is with "joy" we draw water from the wells!   God once told Israel that because they did not serve Him with gladness, the would serve their enemies.  Has He changed His mind?  I doubt it, not when reading Romans one.  It declares that because people are not thankful and do not glorify Him, He said He would give them over to a reprobate mind.
   When God poured out joy so strongly back in the nineties, some loved it (like us) and some hated it. Others, even while participating, could not bring themselves to call it what it was.  The obvious was that it was about joy.   It was God correcting His family.  It was a course correction.  It was a correction of our approach.  People would say "Oh, this is not about laughter.  It is about XYZ" and insert whatever they felt comfortable with.  I thought that was so dumb, to be sitting in a church with everyone roaring in joyous laughter and someone say "this isn't about joy".  That is like going to a Billy Graham crusade and say "it isn't about winning souls" or a Benny Hinn meeting and say "it wasn't about healing".  Nah!  It was about joy. And what a well it has opened up for so many!    We have been walking in this supernatural joy for many years now and it has stayed with us through thick and thin. We have overcome being tossed from a church by force for having revival, we have suffered a head on car crash that might have killed us,  we have suffered some hard days of trial, we have fought cancer and beat it and through it all, we have laughed.  We have rejoiced and still are.  We have kept the wells open.
     In our meetings a lot of things happen and one thing still happens that we love to do.  We love to get people happily drunk on new wine.  Oh, it seems trivial to some, at the time, but it opens the wells of salvation and they begin to draw freely on the things of God.  You know, sometimes we give people rejoicing lessons.  Lesson number one is to identify the sound of joy.  It goes like this "ha, ha, ho, ho, he, he".  What else could joy sound like?  When David sinned, he wanted the joy of his salvation restored.  He wanted to hear joy and gladness again.  The Bible says "blessed are those who know the joyful sound".  For us, it sounds like this, "ha, ha, ho, ho, he, he".  This is also otherwise known as "joyunspeakable and full of glory", that little behavior requirement on the redeemed who believe and love the unseen Jesus (1st Pet. 1:8).

Wrong side of the Cross!

      Are you on this side of the cross looking backward, or still on the other side of the cross looking forward.  On this side of the cross we can say with Jesus,  "it is finished".  On the other side we can only say "I hope it is finished".   It isn't hard to see which side of the cross people are grounded.  Let a natural emergency happen, such as the Haiti earthquake,  the sunami of a few years ago, or hurricane Katrina and there they are, leaders declaring God did it to punish people.  Some even said the crazy Muslims flew into the trade center because God was angry with America.   Wrong side of the cross, folks!  Wrong side.     That same mentality creeps into pulpits all the time, preachers declaring,  "God is gonna git ya",  for this or that sin or weakness.  No - He already has you.  Without Christ, you are already going to "hell". What worse thing could He do?  It is a settled issue and settled in Christ alone.  With Christ, heaven is yours.  Without Him, hell is yours.

    There is a key word in the New Testament.  It is "propitiation".  It is an act whereby anger is turned to mercy.  That is what the blood of Jesus did for Almighty God.  It satisfied, forever and for all,  His demand for penalty of sin and turned His heart to mercy.  It is our redemption.  It is our justification.  Justification means that while we were still sinners, a sufficient price being paid by another, God extended His love toward us.  He is no longer angry. The power of the blood is still the power that speaks, in heaven, better things than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24).    Court has been held, judgment has been passed, sentence handed out.  Jesus bore it all.  All of God's anger, wrathful judgment - Jesus bore it all.  Now, all who accept Jesus as Lord can come in to the family, a sufficient price having been paid for you.  Punishment for sin still remains for all those who do not come under the blood of Jesus.  You are already judged, if that is the case, and a horrible fate awaits you.  It is called "hell".  You don't have to lie, cheat, commit adultery or sin a single sin and "hell" awaits, if you are without Christ the Lord.  Live your best, do your best, but hell awaits without Christ the Lord.  It is already decided.

    To punish anyone for sin with something less than "hell" is, in a way, a reprieve from the awful judgment of "hell".   Sin is all equal.  Punishment for all sin is also equal.  It is called "hell".  If God chooses to punish Haiti for some pact with the devil, or punish New Orleans because of the sin down there, then God must apologize for not wiping out San Fransisco, Ca. and Washington, DC. and me and you.   For Him to strike out in judgment, to display such anger now, on saint and sinner, means the blood of Jesus was not effective.  That means we are all lost.  That means all is a cruel charade.  That means that "whoso ever will" is without meaning.  It means mercy was not granted and if mercy was not granted, there is no such thing as grace.

    It is true that actions have consequences.  Children playing in the street might get hit by a car.  But, don't tell me God allowed that little child to get hit by a car because He was upset over the behavior of the child's parents.  Haiti, New Orleans, etc., may suffer for decisions made, consequences may arise, but don't blame it on God.  He, in fact, is in motion to redeem us from our wickedness, wicked ways and even consequences we have brought on ourselves.   Yes, sin has consequences.  It is a terrible, horrible disease among men.  Left alone, it will bring misery in this life and eternal life in "hell".   However, there is a cure.  The precious blood of Jesus has redeemed us. That means a price has been paid for us.   That redemption means forgiveness is ours to claim daily.  That redemption means heaven is our destiny, not hell.  

    On this side of the cross, on which Jesus was made a curse for us, we can have the divine blessing, the divine favor of Abraham and the promise of the Holy Ghost.  That is a one-on-one, loved-based, family-oriented relationship with the Holy Ghost, God on earth.  Will God "chasten" us?  Of course, but never accuse God of chastening with evil.  People who think that way,  no nothing of a walking talking loving relationship with God whereby with His voice, His Word, His Spirit, His grace, He can chasten us freely.

Move to the right side of the cross.  It is over here that grace is abundant.

   

Do we argure over salvation or concepts of Salvation?

   Much of the division in the church world, for centuries, has been fruitless and foolish. Why?  For the most part we are arguing over a concept of salvation, not salvation.  Some like this concept, others favor another and we draw lines of division. One group says "saved forever" and worries no more.  Another group says "saved momentarily" and then has to continuously get re-saved.  Another group says "may be I am saved but not sure" and spends forever trying to make sure.  And, of course, all are sure the other is dead wrong.  One group says "I am saved because I was born again" and puts all his faith in an act of God beneficial to his eternity.  Another group says "I am saved, all my sins are forgiven".   He too is trusting in something he can only verify by his feelings or the words of man.  Another says "I am saved for I am a good man and do good deeds".  This man is trusting in his own deeds to save him.  And, of course, all are sure the other is dead wrong.   In truth, each man is putting his faith in a concept of salvation he happens to favor.  And, he can pull proof verses out of the Bible to prove his concept. And, there is truth in each of these and other concepts, of which there are many,  presented to us in the Bible.  These concepts are like facets on a beautiful diamond. All good, all beautiful but they are not the whole diamond.  Sadly, people will worship a concept, a facet and miss the diamond.  They will pledge allegiance to and be willing to die for a concept, and miss the diamond. 

     The truth is, we are unwise to ground our faith in a "concept", not when we can have God as close as our breath.  Jesus came, lived a perfect life, went to the cross, shed precious blood, and ascended with His blood which was judged sinless.  As a result of all this he was crowned Lord of Lord, the absolute basis of our hope (Phil. 2).  To prove it the veracity of all, He poured out the Holy Ghost on all who would believe and thirst (Jo. 7:37-39).  He did all that He did in order to pour out the Holy Ghost in baptismal measure on each of us.   It happened first in Acts two and has been happening ever since.  The power to be a "witness" comes "after" this experience.  You are not a witness that He is Savior, but that He is Lord.  And, the Spirit of God walks in relationship with you as deep as you want to walk.  He, the Holy Ghost, is the "earnest", the security deposit, the beginning of what Jesus died to give us.  A one-one-one relationship with God just as Abraham had (Gal. 3).  As the psalmist said "God has become my salvation".  Our faith is to "stand'  of the demonstrations of the Spirit and the power of God (1st Cor. 2:4-5).  It is the presence of our Salvation we are resting our faith upon.

   In order for us to have this salvation, this one-on-one with God, the new birth had to happen, sins had to be removed, surrender on our part had to be made, but none of these are our salvation.  These are things that made it possible to have Salvation, the Holy Ghost, and to be able to say,  "Behold God is my salvation".  This is why Jesus made it plain that those who worship God would have to worship Him as Spirit (Jo. 4:24).

What is a moderate?

     Some time ago I heard a radio commentator say that a "moderate" is one with no convictions about anything.  He was speaking of those in the political realm but my mind quickly grasped the broader spiritual implications.  There is a place, in personal conduct, where to moderate yourself is good, but there is also danger if we are not careful where we choose to "moderate".   I am afraid that "moderation" as we are seeing it, has not only brought ruin to the political world we live in, which was that commentator's point, it is bringing ruin to the church, and ultimately will bring ruin to individuals.  There is a time and a place to practice being moderate, but it is a slippery slope.   There are some things, some truths that ought to be black and white to us;  no interpretation needed.  Firm, sure, unshakeable truth and truth's convictions.  There should be truths so important to us we won't let go of them for anything.  There should be convictions about loving God  so much we would die for Him, if so called to do.  Yet, today, many are saying we no longer are required to love God with all our being, that we are to just love people.  That is deadly moderation.  There should be convictions about sin so strong we will never surrender. When we try to play "moderate" with sin,  as some now do, before long, down the slope we go and the whole idea of sin has little or no meaning.   Today, preachers are refusing to use the word "sin" or "sinners".  According to them we are all victims, hurting people, mis-guided folks, but never "sinners".   Today, as a result, you don't have to be re-born, just  be "nice", smile a lot, join the church and you are considered saved.   

    One of my favorite movies was "Lonesome Dove".  It was great western but also a great story about men with convictions.  They had such a conviction about rustling and crime that they hung one of their best friends for making the mistake of traveling with,  and falling in with men who were rustlers and murderers.  The story was magical to me because that theme.  They were not perfect men and some of their convictions might cause our eyebrows to be raised today, but they were men of convictions, men of integrity.  They lived and practiced their convictions.  When we look at the church, politicians, businessmen, pro-athletes, do we see that today?  If you have watched politicians sell their souls, even their so called "pro-life" position for money in the recent health care debate, you have seen a sickening sight.  You have seen what moderation does.

        

      Even more alarming than the spectacle of politicians with a "for sale" sign on their forehead,  is preachers with the same look about them.  They have moderated to the point that the only truth they preach is the one that is "convenient".   When we look at preachers, spiritual leaders, etc., do we see deep convictions?  Do we see men living and preaching their convictions?    In the matter of truth, a long time ago men started down this slope.  They watered down, rejected and re-defined truths from the literal New Testament until what is truth now, in much of the church, is as it  is in the world - whatever you want it to be.  I remember one such person, on television, defending her version of Christian in which abortion is quite acceptable, declaring "we each read the Bible and come to our own set of truths".  Really?  Truths chosen from among truths, at the whim of man, is not truth at all.  It is an act of self-will made comfortable by a charade.  It is iniquity.  Many will miss the rapture, not because they were bad people, but because they did not receive a "love of the truth",  2 Thes. 2:10.

    The slide away from truth, in the church world, has been going on a long time.  Preaching convictions with conviction often makes people uncomfortable - challenging and confronting.    The people-friendly church of today can't have that.  Their measurement of success is by counting heads and if they make people uncomfortable, they might lose some heads.  And those heads will take their money with them.  About the only challenge people are presented with is "be nice".   Even Pentecostals are reluctant to preach Holy Ghost baptism, the very thing that makes them pentecostal,.  Why?  It confronts people.  It makes them uncomfortable and after all, the comfort of man is what matters.   The Holy Ghost is being squeezed out of many churches, even so-called "spirit-filled" churches.   Why?  His presence demands something of us.  It confronts us about where we are with God.    The Holy Ghost has come to "convict" us.    Did you know that "faith" is otherwise known as a "deep inward conviction"?  When Jesus comes, will He find any?

Unspeakable Joy

    Have you ever seen someone sing the old song "It is joy unspeakable and full of glory" and look like death warmed over?   How about the chorus of the earlier charismatic move "The joy of the Lord is my strength"? I have seen people sing that who appeared to be sucking on lemons.  Sour!   How about the song "He touched me"?  I seen people sing that and their expressions would be more appropriate at their mother's funeral.  Isn't it crazy that in the age of re-defining, we have even re-defined joy?   Now, people can say "I have joy" without any sign of its presence.  Naah!   Joy not only touches the heart, it touches the face.  Joy unspeakable is simply joy that has been birthed in the belly, the spirit, and has made its way to your mouth. When it is there, you smile and show all thirty-seven of your ivories, or two, however many you have.  And, for the novices, joy unspeakable has a sound.  Something like "ha ha, ho,ho, he, he". And, when it is full of glory, it is laughter mixed with praise.  That my friend is "joy unspeakable full of glory", 1st Pet. 1:8.

    You know, once, when Israel experienced freedom from one of their periods of captivity, the psalmist described it this way, "When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.     The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.    Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.    They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.   He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him". Ps. 126:1-6.  I tell you this, at times I have had this feeling.  A feeling of being so free!  It is, like a dream.  Your mouth is filled with laughter and your tongue can't stop singing.  How wonderful the feeling of freedom!  Oh how I wish I could easily pass this freedom on.  Unfortunately,  many don't want freedom.  It takes effort to press for freedom, it is easier to stay in captivity.  But, when men get free, the heathen start to take notice jus as the psalmist notes.   The heathen world around us needs to see free Christians.  Yet, so many of us are like the Pharisees.  Jesus once told them they were in bondage and they answered a fool's answer "Why, we've never been in bondage to any man".  Isn't that crazy,considering Israel's long history of bondage, considering that at that very moment the were under the thumb of the Romans?  YOu see, that is the real problem with real bondage, especially the spiritual kind.  It is blinding!  If we could see our bondage we would more likely step out of it, or try to. But, the insidious nature of spiritual bondage is that it blinds us to what it is.

   The blindness element of spiritual bondage is precisely why we should read this psalm and read 1st Peter 1:8 and read about the early church being filled with great joy, again and again.  It gives us sight as to what freedom looks like.  When you can't see freedom, it is easy for the deceiver to keep deceiving,  But, when you know what it looks like, you also know when you don't have it.  My friend, if there is no joy in you, no joy in your form of Christianity, you are in bondage.   God declares in both Old and New Testaments that in His presence there is fulness of joy!   This is not just a promise of heaven, though we will know joy there.  This is a promise of right now for believers.  Like Peter said, even though we have not seen HIm, yet we believe and we rejoice with unspeakable joy!

    Friend, if you have ever truly experienced this kind of freedom, you will relate to the second half of the psalm "turn again our captivity".  DO IT AGAIN GOD!  Bondage comes and goes.  The enemy of God works hard to make that a fact.  In fact, if you are like me, (and the psalmist), and your joy slips away, or is stolen,  you are likely to begin to weep tears of joy, bearing the seeds of the freedom you know to be so wonderful and so real.   And, if you do, you may come again bringing a harvest of fresh new liberty and freedom.

Lasciviousness

Have you ever heard the word "lasciviousness"?    It means to manipulate by impressions. Usually, if you have heard the word in a religious conversation it was applied to how girls might choose to dress in revealing clothing.  And, it was frowned upon. However, you ought to check out how Jude, under the influence of the Holy Ghost used the word. "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" Jude 1:4.   Jude was incensed at men, supposedly of God, who had crept into the church and had turned the grace of God into lasciviousness. In other words, they were manipulating people with the impression that God was saying, or doing, or wanting something that He was not. They were manipulating by impressions. That, my friend describes the error of religion. They create impressions intended to manipulate your judgment of them or your response to them. How many times have we heard some preacher say "the presence of God is here" with the intention of getting a certain response. However, in fact, there was no joy present and the Bible clearly says in the presence of God there is fulness of joy. How many times have we heard certain kinds of preachers say "send an offering and God will heal, speak, bless, etc."? We build monstrous cathedrals to impress people that God has surely favored our church. We count numbers of heads and announce them proudly, certain to convince others that God has favored our church. "Look how many we have". I have heard offering taken based on the depth of the carpet and the preachers Mercedes in the driveway "Look at us...you can tell we are good ground...look at this building, this carpet, my Mercedes". Many religious leaders, long ago, gave up waiting on the anointing of God to do what needed to be done. They learned to just use "lasciviousness" and manipulate into being what they thought ought to be.

Jude (and the Holy Ghost) were sorely displeased at this creepiness. Today, we seem to be happy with it, but they were not. Jude went on for almost the rest of the book and he called them every bad thing it seemed he could think to call them. If words could skin a man, he skinned them. "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever". Jude 1:12-13. He was steaming!

You have to read all the way to verse nineteen before Jude truly identifies who he is so steamed up about, "These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit". These were simply natural thinkers (sensual) who did not truly have the Holy Spirit. They were creating the impression that they did, but they did not. My, oh my, does that ever describe a lot of religious groups. They make the claim, but it is lasciviousness and nothing but that. Jude then really gets to the heart of the matter when he says "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" (vs 20). This is the group standing in opposition of the lascivious crowd. And, what is the distinctive mark! Praying in the Holy Ghost. That, for the newbies, is speaking unto God in a heavenly language received when you received the Holy Ghost.

In the beginning of this book, Jude instructs us to "contend" for the faith and this having the Holy Ghost and praying in tongues was the faith he was referring to. You know, I don't have nearly the problem with those groups out there that just do not believe in Holy Ghost baptism or praying in tongues as I do with those who say they do but their words are lascivious words. They create the impression of being charismatic, pentecostal, Spirit-filled but they are not and have no intention of being. They are manipulating for greater numbers, greater head counting.

For me, I am contending for the faith. I am going to have the Holy Ghost and with Him I am going to pray in the Spirit. That is the defense against lascivious manipulation by leaders who have crept up on us. That is the way you "contend". Don't let go of this confirmation of the Lordship of Jesus. Paul called it the "testimony of Christ". Contend. Don't manipulate or be manipulated. Get so full of the Holy Ghost that He gets a hold of your tongue. If our tongue is like a rudder on a ship or a bridle in a horses' mouth, you need to be full enough for Him to grab that tongue and turn it to praise that pours out of your spirit. That is hat happened in Acts two and that is what is happening now. Contend!