Adult Adolescence

And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not weep.’” Luke 7:31-32

In the early 90s, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic met the European leaders involved in the Serbian conflict to hammer out a peace treaty between the various ethnic races. Halfway through the negotiation, he stood up and walked out of the meeting. As he left the room, he turned and shouted at the delegates, “Well, if you don’t want to play by my rules, I am not going to play by your rules!” The result of Milosevic’s tantrum was the death of thousands of innocent people in the war at Kosovo.

Jesus likens the men of this generation to children playing games: “If you don’t want to play by my rules, I don’t want to play with you anymore. I will take my ball. I will go home to sulk!” The late Dr. Edwin Louis Cole calls this “adult adolescence.”

When a child is growing up, he exhibits certain immature characteristics because of his childishness:

1. The child is the center of his own universe. Everything revolves around him.
2. The child is insensitive to the needs of others.
3. The child demands his own way. And if he doesn’t get his own way, the next thing happens.
4. The child throws temper tantrums.
5. The child is irresponsible in behavior. Children are not born obedient. They have to learn obedience. Solomon says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). Even Jesus had to learn obedience through the things He suffered (Heb. 5:8).
6. The child is unable to be reasoned with. No wonder the Bible says that “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15). This leads me to the last characteristic:
7. The child only obeys concrete authority.
   

All that I have listed above are the characteristics of a child. As you mature, you are supposed to outgrow your childishness. But when a person matures only in age but not in character, responsibility and discipline, then the characteristics of a child will still be bound in his attitude and worldview. That is when the syndrome of adult adolescence becomes obvious.

Proof Producer

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. Luke 4:18-19

The Holy Spirit is a very supernatural Spirit. He comes with a tangible presence and power. Healing, deliverance, signs and wonders should be a normal, daily part of your life. You must not be afraid to move in the miraculous because one major way God is going to bring in the harvest through you is by the working of signs and wonders.

There is a tendency among some to scoff at signs and wonders. “Oh, they are not really important! Don’t major on them!” Yet, the Bible very clearly indicates that signs and wonders are integral parts of New Testament Christianity. Healing, deliverance and miracles all confirm and prove that Jesus is the Man of God (Acts 2:22). Although no one spoke like Jesus, His testimonial is not one about His eloquence. His is one of great power: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).

The presence and power of the Holy Spirit were so openly demonstrated by Paul that “unusual miracles” were taking place in his ministry (Acts 19:11-12). That refers to the kind of miracles that don’t happen every day. How many Christians can even attest to miracles of any kind ever happening to them at all?

When converts are powerfully touched by the Lord in a miraculous way, it proves to them that God is real and that He cares for them. That was how the early Christians stirred up so many to obey the gospel. Not by their own natural talents or great knowledge, but by the mighty signs and wonders that they demonstrated (Rom. 15:18-19).

Every time healing, deliverance or a miracle takes place, it gives the world proof that Jesus is alive. Are you a “proof producer”? Beyond your clever arguments and debates, how do you show the reality of Christ in a tangible and undeniable way? Make a decision today. Move in the supernatural power of God!

When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. Leviticus 13:2

A man suspected of contracting leprosy must first show himself to Aaron the high priest or one of his sons. In examining such a person, the priest must be mindful of two things: (1) the holiness of God, and (2) the grace of God. The holiness of God demands that anyone who should be out ought to be out. The grace of God demands that anyone who should be in ought to be in.

As such, a priest could not make hasty judgments based on hearsay or subjective bias. He must examine a person suspected of being leprous thoroughly and carry out whatever necessary actions in accordance with the Holy Scriptures.

Leprosy always starts as a little sore on the surface of the skin (Lev. 13:3). But if left untreated, it will soon go deep into the skin and spread all over the body. Leprosy in the Bible always symbolizes a type of sin. And sin always starts insignificantly small. It may be a seemingly harmless thought or an innocuous action. But when it is not checked, it will soon spread all over your life.

Sometimes, leprosy appears as a scab—a crust that has formed over a wound (Lev. 13:6-8). It looks like it has been healed but underneath the scab, the leprosy is still active. Similarly, sin that is not thoroughly dealt with can surface again and again. Leprosy may develop on a portion of the body that is burned by fire (Lev. 13:24-25).

In life, you can get wounded, hurt and “burned” by an outside force, like a family member or a friend. If you don’t deal with that hurt, bitterness and resentment can spring forth from that emotional injury. Eventually, it will spread throughout your heart.

Leprosy may grow out of a sore on the head and the beard (Lev. 13:29-30), which are symbols of authority. Sin can spring out of a collaboration with corrupt authority or bad leadership. Submit to and obey good leaders. Stay far away from the bad ones.

Leprosy may also arise from a bald forehead which was previously pronounced clean (Lev. 13:41-43). Many things in your life may not be sinful or immoral in themselves. But because they are not in the will of God for you, they are not under the covering of God’s blessing. Eventually, sin will spring forth.

The good news is that Jesus Christ is your Great High Priest. He has come to cleanse all the “spiritual leprosy” of sin in your life. If you are willing to truly repent out of a broken and contrite heart, He will forgive you completely and thoroughly cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Final Preparation

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. Mark 13:35-36

The most important truth for all believers with regards to the second coming of Christ is that we must be personally prepared and ready for Jesus’ return. In 2 Peter 3:1-9, the apostle Peter speaks of the certainty of the second coming. He warns that in the last days, there will be scoffers who question, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

Peter then goes on to say: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:10-11).

What manner of person should we be in our preparation for Jesus’ return? Peter says, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless” (2 Pet. 3:14). Three qualities are mentioned here:

First of all, be found by Him in peace. In order to be at peace with God, we have to walk in obedience to His commandments and to His purpose for our lives. The Bible exhorts us to “pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

Secondly, be found by Him without spot. Here, the prepared believer is likened to a garment that is without stain or blemish. Our spiritual garment speaks of our outward behavior and visible conduct that reflect our inward spiritual condition. Conversion may be a one-time experience, but salvation is a lifelong process. It is not enough just to be justified or declared righteous by God through the death of Jesus on the cross. You need to be sanctified or made righteous by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit daily. That is a progressive, continuous transformation.

Thirdly, be found by Him blameless. That means that there is nothing in our personal work and pursuits that anyone can fault. There is no guile, ulterior motive or hypocrisy in whatever we do. In order to be found blameless at Jesus’ coming, we must always do everything for the glory of God and not for the praise of man. Are you ready and prepared for Jesus’ second coming?

God Cares How Much You Give

So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43-44

One time when Jesus walked into the temple, He watched how the people put their money into the offering. He saw how many who were rich put in much. But what moved Jesus deeply was the attitude of a poor widow. Jesus said that the poor widow who sacrificed her two mites was the most generous giver of all, because her gift was large in proportion to her available money supply. Jesus was moved by her giving.

Money is a spiritual subject. God cares how much or how often you give into His house – your church. Otherwise, He wouldn’t have included so many instructions in the Bible concerning the methods, the time and the proper attitudes for giving.

He instructs on the specific day of giving: “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper” (1 Cor. 16:2). He cares about the quantity of your giving: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6).

Most of all, He cares about the quality of your giving. When the rich “tipped” God out of their abundance, it didn’t move Jesus at all. But when the poor widow”“put in all that she had, her whole livelihood,” it touched the Lord greatly.

Most of us are afraid to talk about money. But more than 20 percent of the Holy Scriptures deal with money, wealth, finances, property, land, possessions, tithes and giving. The Bible is clear that “the blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). David says, “Let the LORD be magnifi ed, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Ps. 35:27). If you read Deuteronomy 26:1-12, you will see that God says tithing and giving offerings are specific worship services before Him.

Money is also an effective tool to help bring the gospel to the lost throughout the world. When you put your money to good use according to biblical principles, it becomes a sacred thing.

Your money is your life. Every month when you are paid, the salary you receive is your employer’s way of reimbursing you for the part of your life that you have spent in service to him. As a saint of God, when you give part of your holy life to your employer, the money he gives you in return is holy money. Money is a spiritual matter. Be a good and faithful steward in managing it.

Living Sacrifices

If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD … And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD. Leviticus 1:3, 9

There are five offerings in Leviticus that speak of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. With the exception of one, all the offerings mentioned are sacrifices that involve the shedding of blood. Each portrays a certain aspect of Christ and our spiritual walk with Him.

All aspects of those offerings are given in great detail. Nothing is left to the imagination and private interpretation of men. A wise man once said:

• “The holiness of God demanded a sacrifice;
• The majesty of God required certain regulations;
• The honor of God necessitated a code of conduct;
• The perfection of God expected the best of its kind;
• The purity of God deserved freedom from blemish;
• The sovereignty of God meant absolute obedience to details.”
  

The first of the five offerings in Leviticus is the burnt offering. It is a freewill offering in which one would offer his best possessions to the Lord. Four items of an animal must be placed on the altar, to be consumed by fire:

1. The head, which speaks of our thoughts and aspirations.
   
2. The fat, which speaks of the extras that God has prospered us with.
   
3. The internal entrails, which speak of our deepest feelings.
   
4. The legs, which speak of our spiritual walk.
   

All these areas of our lives must be yielded, purified and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Christ is our burnt offering. He came into the world as a man, not to do His own will, but to fulfill the will of the Father who sent Him. He has “given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Eph. 5:2). He has willingly surrendered His total self—body, soul and spirit—to do the will of His heavenly Father, and to complete it victoriously.

But the burnt offering is also about you. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14). While you are not saved by works, you are saved for good works.

The burnt offering speaks of your personal consecration as a vessel for God’s use. Paul beseeches you to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). Like Jesus, when you willingly submit your life to do God’s will in your generation, you become a Holy Spirit fired-up offering. You are now a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.

The Sin And Trespass Offerings

Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly. Leviticus 4:21

Of the five ceremonial offerings in Leviticus, two did not produce any sweet aroma to the Lord. They were the sin offering and the trespass offering. Sin always rises up to God as a disgusting stench. The sin offering was offered according to the position of the one that was offering it.

Whenever a priest or the whole congregation sinned against the Lord, a bullock must be offered to make atonement for that sin (Lev. 4:3, 13-14). Herein lies an important truth: the sin of a spiritual leader has the same degree of seriousness as the sin of an entire congregation.

With the privilege of leadership comes the great responsibility to walk uprightly before the Lord. The sin offering of a ruler would be a male goat (Lev. 4:22-23), while that of a commoner, a female goat (Lev. 4:27-28). In each instance, the sacrifice had to be perfect. The animal with the sin imputed on it had to be slain and carried out of the camp (Lev. 4:11-12).

The sin offering foreshadowed Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice slain for all mankind. Just as the sin offering dealt with the sin nature of Israelites, God today wants to break the power of sin in you. He wants to remove that corrupt, fleshly sin nature from you.

The trespass offering was closely related to the sin offering. Sinning is missing the mark. Trespassing is overstepping the mark. While the sin offering dealt with the power of sin, the trespass offering dealt with the actual practices of sin. A number of specific sins were important enough to be listed out by God as practices that have overstepped His righteous boundary.

There are 10 trespasses listed out in Leviticus 5-6:

1. Concealing truth when it is demanded in the course of justice.
   
2. Indulging in any practice that defiles the soul and damages the spirit.
   
3. Breaking promises and contracts.
   
4. Dishonesty toward God in holy, spiritual things.
   
5. Ignoring and disobeying God’s commandments.
   
6. Failing to safeguard what is entrusted to you.
   
7. Unfairness in partnership.
   
8. Taking what is not yours through violence.
   
9. Lying and deceiving.
   
10. Keeping that which doesn’t belong to you.
    

For each trespass, you must not only make atonement for yourself, you have to make restitution for offending your neighbor. Restitution is a fruit of genuine repentance. Together, the sin and trespass offerings show the total provision God has made for your atonement.

He has broken the power of sin and has forgiven all the practices of sin in your life. This is confirmed by the apostle John when he says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7)—the singular form of the word “sin” refers to the power of sin being broken in us. Then two verses later, he declares, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9)—the plural “sins” refer to the practices of sins being now forgiven. What a complete salvation!

Must Christians Suffer?

Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?” Mark 9:12

It was very difficult for the disciples to grasp the idea that their Savior would have to suffer. The Jews who studied the Old Testament prophecies expected the Messiah to be a great king like David, who would overthrow the enemy, Rome. But their vision was limited to their own time and experience.

If Jesus hadn’t suffered and died, we would have died in our sins. Through His suffering, Jesus completed the work necessary for our salvation. Through His suffering, Jesus fully identified with us. We know that Jesus understands our struggles because He faced them as a human being. We can now trust Him to help us survive our trials and overcome life’s temptations.

Suffering is one of the unavoidable passages of life. Some people think that troubles are always caused by sin or a lack of faith. But trials are often a part of God’s plan for believers.

Jesus never promised that His followers would not suffer (Luke 21:17-19). Suffering brings a number of benefits:

1. It may be an opportunity for you to practice submission before God.
   
2. It can build in you character (James 1:2-4) and patience (Rom. 5:3-5). You can’t really know the depth of your character until you see how you react under pressure.
   
3. You start to become sensitive toward others who may also be facing troubles (2 Cor. 1:3-7). It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can you still be kind when others treat you unfairly?

God’s will is to make you mature and complete, not to keep you free from pain. Instead of complaining about your struggles, you should see them as opportunities for growth. Often, your troubles may be a sign of effective Christian living on your part.

Finally, God does not expect us to enjoy suffering. Only days after telling the disciples to pray that they might escape persecution, Jesus Himself asked God to spare Him the agonies of the cross, if that was God’s will (Luke 22:41-42). It is abnormal to want to suffer, but as Jesus’ followers, we should be willing to suffer if by doing so, we can help build God’s kingdom. We have two wonderful promises to help us persevere when we suffer: God will always be with us (Matt. 28:20), and He will one day rescue us and give us eternal life (Rev. 21:1-4).

Five Ways God Wants to Be Known

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.” Exodus 34:6

One prominent Bible teacher once commented that “a leader needs compensations because of the added pressure.” In a sense, this is very true in the business world. Those who are in top positions have many compensations. They are given extra bonuses, cars, houses and trips abroad. Spiritually, our compensation should be a closer relationship with God and a stronger presence of the Holy Spirit.

The compensation Moses received was that he saw God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Ex. 33:11). Moses boldly asked God to reward Him by revealing His glory (Ex. 33:18). A leader can be destroyed if his priorities are set on the wrong things. Moses didn’t ask God for position, prestige, popularity or even prosperity. When you read the Scriptures, the Bible heroes who had all those blessings never made them their priorities. They were simply added to them as byproducts of their faith as they first sought the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33).

They all went after the presence and power of God. To them, meeting with God was more important than their ministry for God. In Exodus 34:6, God revealed Himself to Moses in the way He desires to be known. He is :-

1. Merciful,
2. Gracious,
3. Longsuffering,
4. Abounding in goodness and
5. Truth.
   

These are the five most important attributes of God’s nature.

When you walk with God, you must also major in these five areas. Be a merciful person, always quick to forgive. Be gracious to the people around you in your attitude and speech. Be longsuffering and patient to others, having the inner strength to tame your anger. “Goodness” means “incapable of evil.” Be incapable of plotting and scheming against others.

Finally, be a person who walks and abides in truth.

Something for Nothing?

Some people believe that they can enjoy full success in life while enjoying the luxuries of life. They think they can have glory without sacrifice. Realists know that is not so. Every part of our growth toward wisdom and achievement requires effort and sacrifice. Time, effort, concentration and focus make up the path that leads to the top. Paul knew this principle when he explained that Christians are to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). He saw that sacrifice as a spiritual act of worship in pursuit of the most important goal of all: eternal life.

Anything we may want to achieve in life is worth sacrificing for. If it does not seem so, then it is not a worthy goal. We do have to enjoy life as we move toward things we seek and want, but we must not allow that enjoyment to interfere with the course we are on. The new car, holiday trips or luxuries we want may be nice and alluring, but they can be the paving stones of the path that leads to destruction. Learn the value of sacrifice and the rewards it brings. That is how anyone gets to the top. You can’t have something for nothing.

No Mixture

So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Exodus 32:5-6

In Exodus 32, Moses had been with God for 40 days up on the mountain. Growing impatient with the delay, the people speculated that Moses was not going to come back to them. They then went to Aaron and demanded that he make them idols to worship. The result was a molded, gold calf.

A proclamation was then made: "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt" (32:4). Here was Aaron, the assistant pastor to Moses and himself a prophet of God, being a party to the idolatry of the Israelites. Then, in the next verse, Aaron incredulously built an altar in front of the gold calf and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD" (32:5). He put the worship of idols and the worship of Jehovah God together. The next morning, the people rose early to give their offerings at the altar, after which they ate, drank and indulged in wild orgies.

God hates mixture. He instructed Israel: "You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you" (Lev. 19:19).

We see this also in the New Testament. Don’t put old wine into a new wineskin. Believers should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Light has no fellowship with darkness.

Is there mixture within you? While you profess your worship toward God, are there also idols you entertain in your life? An idol could be anything that takes the place of God. Your career could become an "idol." A person you love and admire could become an "idol." An ambition could become an "idol." Money could become an "idol."

Jesus says, "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Matt. 4:10). Like an old-time preacher once said, "If God is not the president of your life, He doesn’t want to be the resident in your life." When there is mixture, there will be lukewarmness in you that God literally cannot stomach (Rev. 3:16).

Decide today never to allow mixture in your love and devotion for God.

The Touch Of Faith

For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Mark 5:28

One time, as Jesus was moving through a huge crowd, there was a certain woman who had been sick for 12 years with a hemorrhage. She had many bad encounters with doctors who could not give her a cure for her disease. She was not getting any better; in fact, she was getting worse. By now, her huge medical bills were pushing her toward bankruptcy.

Then one day, somebody told her about the wonderful miracles Jesus did. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The Greek word for “hearing” is in the present continuous tense. That means you need to hear God’s Word spoken to you again and again. That is also the reason why listening to good, faith-building sermons is so important. You can hear them in church, from an audiotape, through a radio or television broadcast, through the Internet, or simply by reading the Bible aloud to yourself.

So this woman heard about Jesus. She then started saying to herself, “I can be healed. If I could only touch His clothes, I know I can be made whole.” Again in the Greek text, it indicates that she rehearsed and confessed this to herself again and again. Faith is speaking out—again and again. Jesus says, “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).

Then this woman acted out what she believed. She came behind Jesus in the crowd and actually touched His garment. Immediately, power left Jesus and healed her of her affliction. Jesus felt the outflow, she felt the inflow.

Jesus commended the woman for her faith (Mark 5:34). What was her faith? She heard. She spoke. She acted. This woman didn’t just trust God passively. She translated her faith into positive, physical action.

Don’t be a passive Christian. Decide to hear God’s Word daily. Speak and confess them aloud to yourself. Then act out whatever the Word says. God moves when you move—in a faith that is active.

Managing Your Expectations

But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Mark 4:8

God gives us laws to empower us to succeed in every aspect of life: career, education, marriage, finances, our walk with Him, etc. Laws are given so that we understand the cause-and-effect balance that exists in the universe God has created.

God does that so you won’t get disappointed with life. Disappointment is never based on what you find, but upon what you expect to find. And when you don’t get what you expect, you can become angry and upset. In some cases, you may even slump into depression. To succeed in life, you must properly manage your expectations. If your expectations are unrealistic, you will end up discouraged.

Mark 4 relates the famous parable of the sower. There are four types of soil. The farmer takes a big bag of seeds and goes out sowing them. The farmer intuitively understands that he is not going to get a full return on every seed he casts out.

The seed that falls on the wayside would be unproductive. The seed that falls on stony ground would eventually die out. The seed that falls on thorny ground would get choked in the thorns. Only the seed that falls on good ground would become fruitful, producing a thirtyfold, sixtyfold or a hundredfold harvest.

A farmer is always fully aware of the preexisting conditions of the soil he works on. He knows that only 25 percent of what he scatters would bring back a harvest. And even then, only a third of that 25 percent would give him the maximum hundredfold return. Being armed with that knowledge, the farmer wouldn’t be shocked, traumatized or shaken when some seeds don’t yield any crop. He manages his expectations well.

Similarly, you must be prepared to deal with the “inevitabilities” of life. You live in an imperfect, fallen world. There will be recession, unemployment, epidemics, disasters, tribulation and persecution. You will have enemies. Bad things do happen to good people. If you do get surprised when such inevitabilities happen, then you are really being naive, gullible and immature. The Bible calls you a “simpleton”!

Manage your expectations in every aspect of your life. Sometimes, you will find yourself bumped unto the wayside, stony ground or thorny ground. When that happens, don’t get distracted because you can be sure that the good ground is just around the corner to bring you a great harvest.

Called To Jesus

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach. Mark 3:13-14

Everywhere Jesus went, huge crowds of people followed Him. The most famous of which were the 5,000 men that trailed Him from the cities to the desert. But Jesus was not drawn to the multitudes who only craved for His great teaching and free food. Neither did Jesus find appealing the 70 who just desired ministries. Jesus was more moved by the 12 who just wanted to serve Him, to spend time with Him, and to love Him. So, He called and appointed the 12 to Himself, that they might be with Him.

There is a big difference between being involved in ministry and serving Jesus. Ministry is what you can and like to do for God–using your talents, gifts, skills and life experience. Ministry is saying, “Jesus, this is what I want to do for You.” But serving Jesus is asking, “Jesus, what do You want me to do?” You freely avail yourself to Christ with no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives, and no preconditions. You just want to please the Lord and follow Him unreservedly.

In Luke 10:38-42, we have the story of the two sisters, Martha and Mary. At fi rst glance, it seems like Martha was the better of the two sisters. After all, she was the one who took the initiative in inviting Jesus to her home. She was extremely busy trying to be hospitable. She was definitely the more vocal of the two sisters. Martha was capable, gifted, and in today’s vernacular, a born leader.

But at the end of that evening, it was Mary who was singled out by Jesus for praise.

What happened? Mary understood what it means to be called to the Lord. Your first calling, your primary calling, is not to a ministry but to Jesus. Your primary love must be for the Lord. The example of Martha speaks of Christians who have their priorities all messed up. They are more concerned about the busyness of the ministry than the God of ministry. And when the “God factor” in your ministry is gone, everything becomes dry and hard going. Like Martha, you can end up being worn out, resentful and frustrated.

But when you come to Jesus with no agenda, saying, “Lord, I avail myself fully to You. I will do anything and be anything for You. Even if You want me just to be an unnoticeable doorkeeper in Your house, it would be the greatest privilege of my life.” When you have a humble attitude like that, you are ready to be a disciple of Christ.

God wants us to be kind

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

God wants us to be kind. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit working in our lives is kindness.

What is kindness? It is being gracious and loving and forgiving to others — even when sometimes they do not deserve it. Does someone need a cup of cold water? If you are kind you may give them that cup — even if they do not deserve it.

Jesus extended His love and mercy to a woman at a well — even though she was living in sin. God is kind even to the just and the unjust — He sends rain and sunshine whether we deserve it or not. How much more should we be kind to others? Do you have a grudge against someone? Be kind to them and forgive them.

Is there someone in your family who is hurting and going through difficult times? Maybe you can ask God how you can love this person in the love of Jesus Christ. God is kind and loving to us — let us be kind and loving to others.

So, this week, let us pray and ask God

• To help us be kind and loving to others, especially to those in need
• To pour out His love on those who are hurting
• To protect and bless our staff and volunteers at Global Media Outreach
  

As we start this New Year, THANK YOU for your prayers. Sometimes we do not realize the importance of prayer since we cannot see spiritual things with our own eyes, but God knows how important it is to seek Him and to pray for others.

May God bless you,

Angels

Hebrews 1:14 …… Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

With our minds still full of images of nativity angels and the Christmas card angels fluttering away for another year, it is as good a time as any to ask the question; are angels still around today?

Personally, I have heard some fantastic accounts of angelic visitations from people that I know and trust. However, my encounters with angels have been, on the most part, less flamboyant but none the less overwhelming.

The accompanying video with this Gist tells the story of a snow angel. Rather than repeat it I will tell you of another occasion, this time with an invisible angel.

Again, it was winter-time and I was rushing to catch a plane. After driving for fifteen minutes or so, my road was blocked by a fallen tree. The police told me to take another route but it was many miles of a diversion. I was going to be cutting it fine to reach the airport on time.

In my haste, I took a bend too quickly and the front near-side of my car hit a crash barrier. I felt the thud and I heard the sound of the headlight breaking. Despondent, I thought, “that is enough! Clearly I am not destined to go on this trip”.

I reversed into a small lane to turn around and go home but decided to inspect the damage to my car. When I looked there was no damage at all.

Immediately I knew that an angel had buffered my crash and God had mended the damage. I knew that it was the devil who was trying to stop me and I now knew that God was on my side.

I decided to carry on even although I was well delayed by all these shenanigans, or so I thought….

If there had been no delays, it would have taken me an hour to reach the airport. Now, with the addition of another 20 miles detour plus stoppage time, well you can do the maths. When I reached the airport I looked at my watch and it was one hour since I had left home. My detour and delays had not added any extra time.

Are angels still around today? You bet they are!

Lord Jesus, thank you for despatching angels to look after us. Amen.

Why Didn't Jesus Come Down

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Matthew 27:39-40

Golgotha is the site of the crucifixion. It is situated at a major intersection outside the city. Those who passed by stared at Jesus, the condemned King of the Jews, hanging on the cross.

Slowly He began to sag down more and more. The downward pull of His weight, held up only by nails pierced through His wrists, caused excruciating pain to shoot up His arms. In an attempt to relieve the pain, Jesus pushed up on the two wounds in His feet, resulting in even more agony. Hour after hour, He endured wrenching pain in His arms and legs. After awhile, the pain made it impossible to move at all.

Dr. Truman Davis analyzed the gospel account and came to the following medical conclusion: By now, cramps would have swept over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps came the inability to push Himself upward.

Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles were paralyzed and unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs but it can’t be exhaled. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, causing partial asphyxiation. There would now be a deep crushing pain in the chest as the pericardium slowly begins to fill with fluid and compresses the heart. All this would lead to a certain, inescapable, excruciating death.

The critics and cynics around were hurling insults at Jesus, shaking their heads and saying, “If You are truly the Son of God, save Yourself! Come down from the cross!” Why didn’t Jesus, the Son of the living God, the Creator of the Universe, do that?

Jesus could have come down. But He stayed on that cross because

(1) He loved us so unconditionally.

(2) He wanted to free us from the bondage of sin.

(3) He wanted to take our infirmities and bear our sicknesses.

(4) He wanted to set us free from every curse of poverty and defeat.

(5) He wanted to reconcile us back to Father God and give us a home in heaven. As you meditate on God’s Word today, fix your eyes on “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

The Blood Of Jesus

Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:13

The moment you kill a lamb, its blood immediately flows to the ground. The Israelites retained the blood in a basin. But as long as the blood was in the basin, it did not save anyone. Using a bunch of hyssop, the blood had to be applied to each home, upon the lintel and both side-posts of the door. Only then did it protect the Israelite family that lived inside the house.

Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, was already sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). His blood has been shed on the cross. But just that fact alone protects no one and gives no benefit to the individual. As long as it remains in the “basin” of theology, it does not do us any good. Only when the blood is applied correctly to the place of need then would it become effective and do its work.

Under the old covenant, Israel’s means of transferring the blood to the place of need was the bunch of hyssop. In the new covenant, we do that through the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11). With our mouth, we need to verbalize what God’s Word says about what the blood of Jesus does, or we’ll have no benefi ts from the blood. All our believing does not do anything unless we confess it out—verbally. Satan will fight you and do his utmost to frighten you, make you feel shy, and prevent you from coming up with a clear, bold, scriptural testimony. Because he knows that the moment you do that, he cannot touch you anymore.

What does God’s Word say about Jesus’ blood?

(1) Eph. 1:7 says that through the blood, I am redeemed from all my sins.

(2) 1 John 1:7, 9 says that through the blood, I have cleansing and forgiveness from all sin.

(3) Rom. 5:9 says that through the blood, I am justified or “declared” righteous.

(4) Heb. 13:12 says that through the blood, I am sanctified or “made holy,” set apart for God.

(5) 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says that through the blood, I am now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the devil has no place within me and no power over me. Confess verbally all these Bible promises daily.

Resisting "Cheap Grace"

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12

In the end times, the greatest hindrance to the work of God among believers will not be the legalism of contemporary religious Pharisees. Jesus says that the one weapon Satan will unleash upon the Church in the last days is lawlessness. It is designed to kill the love and passion Christians have for God. In fact, the Antichrist is called the “lawless one” (2 Thess. 2:8-9).

The concept of lawlessness is encapsulated in a heretical belief system called antinomianism. The Oxford Dictionary defi nes antinomianism as “a belief that Christians are released by grace from obeying moral laws.” Antinomians outrightly renounce the Ten Commandments.

They reject the process of continuing sanctifi cation in a believer’s life. One of the greatest heroes of faith of the 20th century was Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). He was a German theologian, pastor, preacher, radio broadcaster and author. Bonhoeffer’s most famous work is The Cost of Discipleship, fi rst published in 1939. This work is an exposition of The Sermon on the Mount and it calls for radical living if a Christian is to be an authentic disciple of Christ.

Bonhoeffer’s major concern was the concept of “cheap grace,” a phrase he coined. To him, this is grace that has become so watered down that it no longer resembles the grace of the New Testament. Cheap grace doesn’t transform a sinner but instead brings chaos and destruction to his
life. It is the justifi cation of the sinner without the fruit and works that should accompany the new birth.

Bonhoeffer says of cheap grace: “It is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Cheap grace arises when a sinner desires to be saved but doesn’t want to become a disciple. Can you remember your fi rst conviction at the moment of your conversion? Can you recall your first response to Christ? It was to see a change, wasn’t it? You longed to have righteousness, purity and holiness in your life. If you wanted to remain in sin, you would have remained as an unbeliever and stayed outside the bounds of God’s kingdom. Resist antinomianism today. Warn those who are seduced by it. Don’t ever lose your first love for Jesus.

Humility

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12

God promises to dwell “with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble” (Is. 57:15). A key determining factor for personal revival is humility.

Pride is seeking independence from God. The result of pride is always rebellion, disaster, grief and sorrow.

In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus talks about a certain rich man who arrogantly boasted, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.’” Do you notice how many times this rich man said “I” and “my”?

In a certain sense, he was probably a good man. He must have been sensible, respectable, smart, prudent and a good manager. Just look at the crops he harvested! In our contemporary world, he could well be a churchgoer, an elder or even a benefactor sitting on the finance committee. Yet, Jesus called him a “fool.” And the essence of his foolishness was that he acted as if he were independent from God. God was never in the equation of his balance sheet.

That rich man didn’t take into account that he depended on God for his daily breath. That he depended on God for seed to bring forth a harvest. That he depended on God for his health and strength. And basically, for everything in his life! He was a fool because he didn’t see his dependance on God and he didn’t acknowledge God. The root of his sin was pride.

You need to remember today that your life is dependant on God. The key to continual personal revival is humility. The usual danger of God blessing a Christian is that the person becomes lifted up by the boastful pride of life. Make a decision not to be proud today!

Spiritual Legacy

Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven. Exodus 6:20

Genesis teaches us that everything produces after its kind. An apple tree produces apples. An orange tree produces oranges. This is the irrevocable law of creation. Jesus takes it further when He says that you can know the quality of a tree by the fruit it produces (Matt. 7:20). The fruit depends on the stock it came from.

Moses came from a lineage of priests. Moses’ father, Amram, was the son of Kohath, who was the son of Levi (Ex. 6:16,18). They were all Levites. They were all priests unto the Lord. Our spiritual fervency and passion for God can be passed from one generation to the next. Another interesting thing is the spiritual progression in Moses’ family. Miriam and Aaron were Moses’ older sister and brother. Miriam was a prophetess. Aaron was a prophet and a high priest. But Moses was the greatest of all. He became “as God” to Pharaoh (Ex. 4:16). Herein lies an observation: the parents’ spiritual state while parenting the child determines the spiritual state of the child. As the parents make progress in their spiritual lives, the children benefit.

As Amram and Jochebed progressed spiritually, their children became greater and greater in stature. Max Jukes lived in New York. He neither believed in Jesus Christ nor allowed his children to go to church, even when they wanted to. Max Jukes ended up with 1,026 descendants, of which 300 were sent to prison for an average term of 13 years, 190 were public prostitutes and 680 were admitted alcoholics. Jukes’ family, so far, cost the US Government more than half a million dollars to rehabilitate. They have made no contribution to society.

Jonathan Edwards also lived in New York at the same time as Jukes. He loved the house of God and saw that his children were in church every Sunday. Jonathan Edwards ended up with 929 descendants. Of these, 430 were ministers, 86 became university professors, 13 became university presidents, 75 became best-selling authors, fi ve were elected to the United States Congress, two were elected to the Senate and one became the Vice President of America. Edwards’ family never cost the state one single cent but contributed immensely to their society. Your walk with God and love for His house play an important role in the spiritual legacy you leave behind for your children.

Found Faithful

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Exodus 3:1

Whenever God does a mighty work in a generation, He raises up people to whom He gives wisdom, faith and the Holy Spirit. The Book of Exodus is really centered upon one such chosen vessel, Moses, the great deliverer. He led his generation out of the bondage of Egypt into their inheritance, the land God had promised to Abraham and his seed.

Moses’ life can be divided into three parts:

(1) The first 40 years in Egypt, when he thought he was a somebody;

(2) the next 40 years at the back of the desert, when he realized he was a nobody; and

(3) the final 40 years as a deliverer, when he learned that God could take a nobody and turn him into a somebody. To become the person God uses, you must be willing to go through God’s process. As you learn to humble yourself, allow your pride to be broken by God’s dealings and let Him shape and mold you into a “Moses: to your generation. “Many are called, but few chosen: (Matt. 20:16). It is one thing to be called of God, it is quite another to be chosen by God. But Revelation 17:14 says, “Those who are with [the Lamb] are called, chosen, and faithful.: Moses wasn’t just called and chosen by God, he was found faithful in everything he did for the Lord in His house (Heb. 3:2).

Similarly, there will be three distinct divisions in your life. You must have the call of God. Then there will be a preparation period. If you pass that preparation period, there will come a time when God will choose you and put you into a ministry. But for that ministry to flourish and bear great fruit, you must be found faithful in serving God in His church.