Hear, See, Tell

 

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this week’s message from my Pastor over at www.TheSpringsChurch.com (Colorado Springs). If you'd like to hear it far better than I'm sharing it here, look for Pastor Gary Wilkerson's sermon dated 12/15/2013, and titled, "Go Tell It."

He pointed out how that from the very first day Jesus appeared here on earth, the course of action was laid out for believers.

The 3 'wise men,' the shepherds, HEARD the news (from the angels), went to SEE it with their own eyes (in the manger), then TOLD everybody of the good news (that Jesus the Messiah was born).

That is the process of being a Disciple, a Follower, of Jesus Christ. We simply were NOT meant to only go to church 1 day a week, and basically ignore God the rest of the week. God calls us to action - again and again and again!

If we heard the message of salvation from God, through His people, we should, theoretically, 'see' it for ourselves, and prove it to ourselves in any of the many ways God does that for each of us. Then, yes then, we are called to action - to tell others about the 'Good News,' i.e., Jesus Christ.

If you think you haven't been called over and over again, you simply have not been listening.

First, you hear the message. Then you ‘see’ it for yourself. Then, take action, and share the wonderful news of the Messiah with anyone and everyone. Hear it, see it, tell it.

Another way to say it, which I’m slightly fond of, would be something along the lines of, “Get off your duffs -- and live it like you truly believe it!”

But hey, maybe that’s just me, y’know? ;-)

May God bless your efforts mightily, whatever those efforts may be.

 

Straight Outta the Bible:Awaken to the Holiness of Life

 

Straight Outta the Bible
(The Harder Stuff That Many Pastors/Priests Don't Seem to Share)

 

The Apostle Paul (St. Paul) says to us...

"Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can’t afford in times like these. Aren’t you embarrassed that you’ve let this kind of thing go on as long as you have?"

(1 Corinthians 15:34)(MSG)

 

A Prayer Request

 

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

 

(Ephesians 6:19-20)(NIV)

 

Pastors That Have the Gift of Music?

 

Y'know, I've met more than 1 pastor/priest/Godly man now, who wanted only to preach rather than use the musical gift God obviously gave these people.

But I've recently read 1st & 2nd Chronicles, and now the Book of Ezra too -- and I've lost count of how many times the Levites and special, set-aside priests... played musical instruments as part of their job, or whatever you'd care to call it.

No disrespect meant here, but, HELLO, Pastors, why are you wanting to be unbiblical?

Just sayin. ;-)

 

Trusting In God’s Grace

 

In the Book of Romans, it says:

 

"So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we’re given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own. If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift."

(Romans 4:1-5)(MSG)

 

The 'Doctrine of Grace' is not just a doctrine. It's clearly, "The Way." Jesus is Grace. In Old Testament and New Testament both, it's all about accepting God's grace.

 

Today's Prayer

Thank You, Lord, for being an Almighty God who, for unfathomable reasons, loves us and pays attention to our details. Please, bless us with your Godly wisdom on all this. Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord. We thank You for Jesus, Father -- and in his name we both praise you and pray to you. Amen.

 

Why God Allows Some Bad Things to Happen

 

The Book of Romans, chapter 1, says this:

"Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!"
(Romans 1:28-32)

 

People say the Bible isn't relevant today. Bah! That's just more of the same silliness mentioned above.

You want to read more in the same vein of explanation? Read ALL of chapter 1 in the Book of Romans. Very interesting and relevant to today's world.

You can check it out here if you don't have a Bible handy:
(www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%201&version=MSG)

 

What Jesus Said to Paul

 

“‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’"

(Acts 26:17-18)

 

You Handle It

 

Acts 21:14 says:

"We saw that we weren’t making even a dent in his resolve, and gave up. 'It’s in God’s hands now,' we said. 'Master, you handle it.'" (MSG)

 

Giving it to God is not just 'all we can do.' It's the right thing to do, quite often.

We take too much into our own hands -- or at least try to -- when it's simply not in our control. Then we come to God to 'help us' with the cleanup, rather than handing it to Him in the first place as we should.

 

Prayer for Today

Thank You, Father, for being an Almighty God. Thank You, Jesus, for being one with the Father. Please, teach us humility, and strengthen our faith so that we may experience that peace which you had, Jesus, while here on earth with us. Amen.

 

Cupcakes & Roses

In the New Testament, the Book of Acts chapter 14, verse 22 talks about Paul & Barnabus, and says this:

"...they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God."
(Acts 14:22)(NLT)

 

There is a misguided doctrine of Christianity that tells you that all you need to do is give yourself to Christ and life will be beautiful. You'll be blessed with riches, and a prosperous life, and blah, blah, blah.

Call it the Success Doctrine, call it the Prosperity Doctrine, call it what you want. I call it a misguided doctrine.

While such prosperity and blessings of monetary riches can & do happen, it is not automatic or for every believer, by any stretch of the truth.

In fact, Jesus himself says that we -- his followers -- will have a life of suffering. This verse above also clearly states that all the days of our lives will not constantly be full of cupcakes and roses while we are here on earth.

Though some may be blessed in such ways while here, that will be to fulfill parts of God's ultimate plan. For most of us such continuously happy, easy days will not come until we're in heaven.

While here on earth, though, to grow us to be more like Christ, the bible states that we will have a life of suffering, and must 'suffer many hardships' during our time here.

 

Consider This

Consider that in order to ‘grow,’ a thing has to be stretched, pushed & pulled this way & that. It has to be put under stress, is reshaped and changed, in order to ‘grow.’

Remember too, that in our weakness, He is strong.

 

May He bless you and protect you through it all. Thank You, Father, for your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Don't Waste Your Time

"Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave. Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples."
(Acts 13:51-52)(MSG)

 

Point made:

Don't waste your time beating someone over the head with your Bible.

If they don't want to hear it, let them walk away. And through it all, remember another verse from God:

"...let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God."
(1 John 3:18-19)(NLT)

 

A Proper Response!

“As surely as God lives, what God says, I’ll say.”
   -- Micaiah the Prophet (in response to the King's messenger - 1 Kings 22:14)

 

Oh, but that we all had that determination & faith. More men (including me at times!) need to stop being typical males, and start being men - real men of God.

Thank you, Jesus, for your model. You, for sure, let your yes be your yes, and your no be your no.

 

Get Out While You Can

"Peter said, 'Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away--whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.' He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, 'Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!'”

(From the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, Verses 38-40)(MSG)

 

Your Rules, Not Mine

"Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.
Great is your mercy, O Lord;
give me life according to your rules."

(Psalm 119:155-156)

 

In All Things

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
(Romans 8:28)

 

Before you act way too typical and say to yourself, 'Oh, I know that one,' and move on -- I urge you to slow down for a minute & actually read that verse, word for word.

It says, In - ALL - things.

We sometimes seem to ignore or "forget" such truths when tragedy strikes. We simply don't want to hear it in those worst moments. But God's word does not change when our emotions change. God is good -- all the time. There's that word again: ALL

When you don't comprehend WHY something 'bad' happened in your life or the life of someone you care about -- remember that God tells us, "In all things."

Then, too, remember this verse, which may help comfort you as well (and again, try not to be typical and simply skim over it saying you 'know that verse'):

 

Isaiah 55:8-9 --

"’For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.
‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.’"

 

Despite the tragedies and stresses He allows in our life, He loves us, and is working for the good of all who love Him.

Thank You, Lord.

 

Are You 'All In?'

In the Book of Judges, chapters 19 & 20 the Israelites went up against the Benjaminites. In the 1st 2 battles, the Israelites lost -- even though the leaders had prayed before each battle.

Before the 3rd battle, all, not just some, of the Israelites went up to pray. That's when God gave the Benjaminites over to the Israelites. They won that 3rd battle in such a way that there was not a 4th.

 

More often than not, I believe most of us probably are on the other end of the scale from, "All in." Have you given yourself over to God yet? Truly? He's waiting. Keep in mind, though, that while He is an amazingly patient God, none of us is promised tomorrow.

We so often treat God like He's Santa Claus -- asking, asking, asking. Rather than giving just to get, why not try simply giving, today? Give yourself over fully to God. I believe you'll be amazed at what you get in return, when you're not asking.

Make the choice. Go "All In" today. There's no better time.

 

The Crux Of It

Why, still today, do people not want to believe in the miracles Jesus performed, if nothing else?

Scripture answers this question quite clearly below. Immediately after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, here's what the Holy Bible says happened. John 11:45-48 (MSG) says:

 

"That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. 'What do we do now?” they asked. “This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs. If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have.'”

 

They admitted Jesus was doing things that could only be from God. "God signs." Yet they feared losing the "power and privilege" they had and desired.

They wanted their power more than they wanted God.

And that's the exact same problem we have this very day. We want our autonomy, our "self" -this and self-that. We want what we want, and we don't like being told what to do or what we should not do.

Most of us are, essentially, 3-year-olds emotionally.

In fact, it's likely you reacted negatively against that statement upon reading it just now. And so we continue to rebel against God.

God is your Father, He is your Daddy -- whether you rebel against Him or not. One day, we will all stand before him and be held accountable for our actions.

Consider making the wise choice today, rather than the typical, emotion-based choice that leads us to rebellion -- just as it did with the religious leaders of Jesus' day.

 

Willfully Choosing Rejection

You know, it just doesn’t get much clearer than this…

John 12:47-50 (MSG) says:

 

“If anyone hears what I am saying and doesn’t take it seriously, I don’t reject him. I didn’t come to reject the world; I came to save the world. But you need to know that whoever puts me off, refusing to take in what I’m saying, is willfully choosing rejection. The Word, the Word-made-flesh that I have spoken and that I am, that Word and no other is the last word. I’m not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That’s all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you.”

 

And yet, as the Holy Bible says, some still will simply not get it, will not have their eyes opened to it. They will remain in darkness, with hardened hearts.

 

A Praise & A Prayer

Thank You, Lord, for letting us know you, those of us that already do. Thank you for those whose eyes you have yet to fully open, as well. Glorify yourself through our lives, Lord, please? Use us to bless others. We thank You for Jesus, and it’s in His name we praise you and pray to you, Father. Amen.

 

My Apology for the Absence -- I'm Back

I hope you'll forgive me. I really am sorry for neglecting this blog.

I have not neglected scripture, just this blog.

Once I finally got on FB, I found it much easier to post each day's insights and scripture to Facebook and began doing that much more. Rather than formatting each post for a blog, I mean. I became lazy is what it boils down to.

But, too, the fact that I quickly gathered hundreds of 'Friends' there, and very few subscribers here thus far, played a part in my changeover as well.

However, I never felt quite right not posting to this blog, which I believe was originally inspired by the Lord as a place for me to share what I love to share: His truth, and insight into it.

So I'm back. I'm going to still be sharing on FB -- but will also be posting regularly here again, too. Much of the same stuff, but while I post little blurbs and big posts on Face Book, I won't be sharing every bit of it here. Much of it, yes -- but not all. Some of it is just a note in passing, or a comment here and there on scripture.

While I'll be posting all the larger pieces here, if you want more, feel free to Friend me on Facebook. It's my personal account, at www.facebook.com/everettgavel.

Now, back to posting on this blog on a regular basis! ;-)