Contagious?

 

Three years ago a contagion swept the globe, rapidly changing life as we knew it. The virus was easily transmitted and infected millions of people within a few weeks time, resulting in death, suffering, and economic loss. A tiny virus literally brought the world to a pause as leaders attempted to contain it and limit the spread, not very successfully as it turns out. This generation will always remember COVID masks, restrictions, and closures, won’t we?

2000 years ago the Gospel of Christ swept across the Roman Empire, like a virus, but positively changing the world, bringing life, not death. Something wonderful happened to people who believed the good news about Jesus. Peter describes it this way: "All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay." (1 Peter 1:3-4, NLT)   "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy." (1 Peter 1:8, NLT)

The Holy Spirit entered the hearts and minds of those who believed and they were transformed. It was not just an ‘idea’ that caught on, it was a new way of understanding the purpose of life. Christians cared for orphans and widows. They built a new community that ignored old social boundaries. Their faith was immediate, not just one for the ‘bye and bye.’ Their new way of living was witnessed by others who were moved. 

Those Christians were contagious and faith spread rapidly, completely changing the world in about 2 centuries. That fact is even more amazing when we think that they had no printing presses, no rapid means of travel, no mass media. In a positive way, Christianity was ‘viral,’ unstoppable.  In a world of death and hopelessness, the Gospel of Christ Jesus brought salvation, light, and life!  With little regard for cost or consequence, they were public about their love of Jesus, and His message was irresistible for millions.

Is your faith contagious?

In Acts we learn Who makes us infectious. It is not a sparkling personality, personal charisma, or even great achievement. It is not wealth or grand displays of power. Jesus promised - "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." (John 14:16-17, NLT)   

He told those first disciples to wait in Jerusalem after His return to Heaven and Someone would ‘infect’ them, making them contagious in the world.  "When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NLT)  Ordinary men and women from a backwater province of the Roman Empire were filled with the Spirit, inspired and changed. They began to live differently, spreading a message of salvation and hope.

Paul says "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake." (2 Corinthians 4:5, NIV)  When there is a demonstrable difference in us because of the Spirit, we become like those first Christians, contagious with an irresistible message of life and hope.

The word from the Word encourages me, and hopefully, you, too. "But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own." (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT) Christ is me, an ordinary person, can change my world. What a thought.

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Breathe On Me Breath Of God

Breathe on me breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what Thou dost love
And do what Thou wouldst do

Breathe on me breath of God
Until my heart is pure
Until with Thee I will one will
To do and to endure

 

Breathe on me breath of God
Till I am wholly Thine
Till all this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine

 

Breathe on me breath of God
So shall I never die
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity

Edwin Hatch | Robert Jackson

• © Words: Public Domain

I can handle this!

 

Confidence is a real gift that is a foundation stone in success.  As children we learned a tale about a little railroad engine that pushed the train over the hill as he puffed “I think I can, I think I can.” It was a lesson in taking on challenge, refusing to let hardship hold us back from an attempt. Theodore Roosevelt penned words that lauded confident attempts.  “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds.”   There is a caution that we need to hear when we succeed – Beware of hubris!

Hubris is self-confidence that transgresses into arrogance. It is a point of vulnerability in us all.  Hubris is the sin of the blessed. Too often those most gifted, those who are successful, trip over themselves, starting to believe all the wonderful things that others are saying about them.

Saul, the first king of Israel, was told to go to a violent, warring nation and destroy it by the Lord, through the voice of the prophet Samuel. But by that time, Saul had become impressed with himself, believing the praises people sang in his ears. So, he kept plunder and brought it back to Israel. Samuel met him and said this of his hubris - “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:17, NIV) Saul, you knew you were not much, but God made you. How could you forget that?  "Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” (1 Samuel 15:19, NIV) Here comes the kicker! "For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:23, NIV)

Hubris is a first-cousin of pride, the original sin. The beautiful angel, Lucifer, became convinced that he could be ‘like God,’ and lost his place in God’s heaven, cast down because of pride. This is a temptation that comes often to those blessed with success.  Instead of relying on the Spirit to enable us to serve and please God, we can become self-sufficient, prayerless, convinced that ‘I can handle this on my own.’

Humility defeats hubris, but nobody comes by that easily or naturally. Humility must be cultivated. The Word tells us to “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5, NIV) When we feel the conviction of the Spirit, when the testimony of the Holy Word speaks truth to us, we start see our desperate condition. What will we do? One response is to pridefully excuse ourselves.  

When Samuel challenged Saul’s failure to complete God’s directions, the prideful king replied “What are you talking about? I did obey God. I did the job God set for me. I brought in King Agag and destroyed the Amalekites under the terms of the holy ban. So the soldiers saved back a few choice sheep and cattle from the holy ban for sacrifice to God at Gilgal—what’s wrong with that?” The Message (1 Samuel 15:20-21

Yes, friend, I confess this truth, praying to living humbly, for God promises that “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts." (Isaiah 57:15, NLT)

Humility is not to be confused with a lack of desire for excellence!  The children of the Lord, in whom He places His Spirit, should be people that live admirably. Is there a better model of excellence than Daniel, a man who held to his love of the Lord while serving in the court of a pagan king?  He rose to the highest levels, a trusted counselor to the king. Accomplishment or recognition will not morph into hubris when we faithfully give thanks, knowing that we are who we are because of the grace of God.  When we feel ourselves becoming impressed with by ourselves, this question needs to come to the forefront of our minds: “Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not??” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Hubris or humility? What will it be?

Take the wisdom of Jesus with you today as you meditate on this word from the Word.   “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4, NIV)  "All of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor." (1 Peter 5:5-6, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Same God

I'm calling on the God of Jacob
Whose love endures through generations
I know that You will keep Your covenant

I'm calling on the God of Moses
The one who opened up the ocean
I need you now to do the same thing for me

Oh God my God I need You
Oh God my God I need You now
How I need You now
Oh Rock oh Rock of ages
I'm standing on Your faithfulness

I'm calling on the God of Mary
Whose favor rests upon the lowly
I know with You all things are possible

I'm calling on the God of David
Who made a shepherd boy courageous
I may not face Goliath
But I've got my own giants

 

You heard Your children then
You hear Your children now
You are the same God
You are the same God

You answered prayers back then
And You will answer now
You are the same God
You are the same God

You were providing then
You are providing now
You are the same God
You are the same God

 

You moved in power then
God move in power now
You are the same God
You are the same God

You were a healer then
You are a healer now
You are the same God
You are the same God

You were a Savior then
You are a Savior now
You are the same God
You are the same God

You freed the captives then
You're freeing hearts right now
You are the same God
You are the same God

You touched the lepers then
I feel Your touch right now
You are the same God
You are the same God

I'm calling on the Holy Spirit
Almighty river come and fill me again

Come and fill me again
Come and fill me again

Brandon Lake | Chris Brown | Pat Barrett | Steven Furtick

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The Real Adversary

I hesitated before putting my thoughts into words today because I know how quickly the idea of the ‘Devil’ is sensationalized, caricatured, or turned into a source of fear.  Christian, we do need a reminder, from time to time, that our Adversary is real and that he actively pursues the destruction of God's work in this world!  None other than Peter, the Apostle, tells us to be "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9, NIV)  Peter says that the suffering Church, going through intense persecution, needed to know that it was not Rome, not the Emperor, that was the source of the hatred. It was a Real Adversary. His aim was (and is!) to neutralize the work of God in us and in our world, no matter what it takes to do so.  His metaphor is a vivid one – that of a hungry lion on the prowl for prey!

Peter is not a singular voice for the reality of the devil. Jesus variously describes him as "the prince of this world," "a murderer," and as "a liar and the father of lies."   Paul calls him "the god of this age." John, in that eye-popping book of the New Testament called The Revelation, speaks at length of the reality of person of diabolical nature who plots to accomplish the ruin of God’s plan and people. Some disciples read those lines and cower in fear. Others invest inordinate amounts of time in prayer ‘rebuking’ and ‘binding’ the devil, instead of seeking the will of Christ Jesus. Do not fall into that trap.

Here is the baseline fact - Christ Jesus, God in flesh, defeated the power of the Devil, set us free from slavery to evil, and gave us the Holy Spirit so that we can live as ‘overcomers.’  He is the Light, the Way, the Truth, who strips our real adversary of his ability to control us, to defeat us, or to separate us from the love of our Father.  I am not counseling any of us to ignore the devil or to pretend that he is less than he is.  When we live in the grace of Christ, filled with the Spirit of God we are assured that "Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:10-11, NLT)  Throughout the history of the church we see how the devil has worked at hindering the work of God. So we properly recognize his schemes, but not in terror.

In dealing with the devil, with the evil people of this world, and even our own sinful nature, we live in this great assurance: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4, NIV)  We prepare ourselves to deal with the reality by taking God’s gift. The Word says  "Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13, NIV)

What can we do to deal with Devil?

First, we put our full confidence in Christ Jesus, our Savior, not on our skill, experience, or intelligence.

Second, we trust the Spirit and the Word to show us the Truth that sets us free!

Third, we agree with God, submitting ourselves to Him.

"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7, NLT)  There is a connection between humility before God and boldness in the defeat of the Devil!  That humility becomes our way of life when coupled with following the lead of the Spirit. Yes, that is called obedience.

Fourth, we forgive constantly so that no bitterness finds root in our heart to produce evil fruit!

People who become self-focused will tend to offense and in the fertile soil of an offended heart, hatred can grow that gives the devil a foothold in our life. Jesus counsels radical forgiveness because of love. Is that possible? It is. “We love because HE loved us first!”

And, finally, we live prayerfully before God's Throne, so that the Spirit fills us, anew, each day.

That sounds so churchy, but we need to make this our heart’s desire. Our best defense is our relationship with God. In praise, in thanksgiving, in cultivating a constant “God awareness” we, His children, find security from the prowling lion, the evil one.

Know that the adversary is real and give thanks that the Savior is greater.

The word from the Word says this. "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. " (1 John 4:2-5, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing
Our Helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He
The Lord of hosts His name, from age to age the same
And He must win the battle 

And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure
One little word shall fell him

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also
The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still
His kingdom is forever

• Martin Luther