Posts

Give Up Everything

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Zechariah 10-12; Psalms 126; Luke 14   “’And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple…In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciples.’” Luke 14:27, 33 Following Jesus on our terms will not transform our lives or the lives of others. When we carry our cross, we are daily prepared to die to the life of self. We are quick to repent of sin, to prefer others, to risk rejection for the gospel, and to generously share what we have with others. When we give everything to Christ and fully surrender our will to him, we live as dead. We live dead to the life of self and alive to Christ. While the cost of offering our lives to Christ is high, the cost of not doing so is higher. To not live as Christ’s disciple is to serve self, sin, and live as captive to desires, temptations, and the worries of this life. Instead of the living hope of eternal life with Christ, we face separation from our Creator. We cannot reduce the co...
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Christ’s Rule and Peace

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Zechariah 7-9; Luke 13   “…He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:10 “…He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.’” Luke 13:23, 24 The peace of Christ is the victor’s peace; the peace that is found when the harassing voice of the enemy has been stilled and his presence driven out. Jesus proclaims peace to the nations; those who respond to him experience the freedom and peace of Christ’s rule. The world’s peace is a false peace that cannot transform hearts and minds. When we live and proclaim the Gospel of peace, we, too, extend Christ’s rule to others. His kingdom requires surrender of our sin and our will to the will of the Father. This narrow door means that most do not find peace with God and the peace of God in their lives. Are we trying to find peace some other way than Christ’s offer of m...
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The Holy Spirit will Teach You

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Zechariah 4-6; Luke 12    “’When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.’” Luke 12:11, 12 Our degree of dependence on the Holy Spirit when we are being opposed or confronted by authority is a measure of how well we know the Holy Spirit. Jesus relied on the Holy Spirit’s anointing when facing the schemes and traps of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. His wisdom came from the Holy Spirit and so can ours. The seven-fold Spirit of God is full of wisdom and understanding (Isaiah 11:2). As we learn to listen and respond to the promptings of the Spirit, we, too, will be taught “at that time” what we need to say in the tests we will face. When we worry about defending ourselves, we give in to fear, rather than living by faith. The Lord who has called us to himself and his mission will defend us and teach us through the Hol...
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He has Roused Himself

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Zechariah 1-3; Luke 11   “’Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people…I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.’” Zechariah 2:10-13 The coming of the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his second coming waits. No one understood at the time of Zechariah, that God’s redemptive plan to join many nations to himself through the great commission over the past two millennia of the Church-age was actually the fulfillment of this prophesy. Now we wait for Christ’s second coming when he again inherits Judah and chooses Jerusalem. God’s prophetic word will be fulfilled, but we must cooperate with it through our obedience an...
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The Peace of Christ

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Haggai 1-2; Psalms 129; Luke 10   “’Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves…When you enter a house, first say, “Peace to this house.” If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.” …The seventy- two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’” Luke 10:3, 5, 6, 17 Jesus sends “lambs” on a mission among “wolves.” Yet it is the lambs that carry Christ’s authority to drive out demons and heal the sick. When welcomed into a home, these lambs declared Christ’s peace in that home. More than words, this peace is the reality of Christ’s presence and kingdom rule. The peace we carry will ‘rest’ on those who welcome this peace. This peace is Jesus! The demonic manifestations the disciples encountered testified that Christ’s powerful peace caused even wolves to flee! Are we living under the authority of Christ and his peace? Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the presence of Christ and his kingdom wh...
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Kingdom Advance

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Ezra 4; Psalms 113, 127; Luke 9   “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.’” Luke 9:1-3 Jesus sent out his disciples, in faith and complete reliance on the Holy Spirit. What do we rely on in our ministry? Without money, these disciples relied on the generosity of the “man of peace” (Luke 10:6) in the community who would open a place for them to stay and offer food. Without ‘project funds,’ these disciples relied on prayer and preaching as their gifts. What Jesus clearly gave his disciples was power and authority. Are we receiving from the Lord the most essential resources of the Spirit of God for the ministry-call we have received? There is no other way to advance the kingdom of God. “Lord Jesus, may your kingdom advance this day throug...
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Foundations

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Ezra 2-3; Luke 8   “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” Ezra 3:10, 11   Foundations are important. The laying of the foundation of the temple was supervised by priests and celebrated with worship. The goodness and love of God was sung over the foundation. We, too, are being built together into a holy temple in the Lord, with the apostles and prophets establishing the foundation and Jesus Christ as our chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20-22). The apostolic and prophetic ministry of the Holy Spirit continues to extend and establish the witness of the Church in ...
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