Christmas (2)

When my grandfather pastored in the mountains of North Carolina, my dad would go out every Sunday morning and ring the church bell when he was a child. We also used one at youth camps years ago before PA Systems. It still sits in front of our Church of God State Tabernacle now as a part of a memorial to our past. Bells have long had an intimate association with Christian churches. In many parts of the country today, their ringing can still be heard every Sunday, and throughout the rest of the year for various religious celebrations. One of the most significant of course is Christmas. It comes as no surprise then that bells are a familiar symbol during the holiday season.

Though bells were used in ancient antiquity and even in the Jewish temple (on the hem of priestly garments), their association with the Christian Church may well have come from an unlikely source – St. Patrick. The famous bell of St. Patrick resides in Ireland, and according to tradition, Patrick, a missionary to the Emerald Island in the 5th century, used it to gather the Irish people together for the teaching and preaching of God’s Word. With time, the bell came to be associated with the Lord’s work and to symbolize something sacred.

As Irish missionaries were sent out into the Western world, they likely made the same use of bells as Patrick, and the people of the West eventually attached a similar religious significance to them. Prior to the influence of these Irish missionaries, it appears that Christians used a variety of other methods to gather together, such as gongs, trumpets, or drums. However, the Irish bell would ultimately prevail in the Western world, and its shape would follow the same evolution as the bells in Ireland, beginning as a small iron cow-bell and transforming into the large bronze instrument with which we are familiar today. By the eighth century, bells were viewed as an essential part of the Church. Bell turrets were built, bells increased in size, and many churches had claim to two or more bells.

The ringing of church bells often signaled the time, and many communities depended on the bells in order to attend weddings, funerals or other services at the proper hour. In some cases, the sequence of tones and the number of bells rung could indicate several details about a service or feast that was about to commence. Interestingly, the word “clock” comes from a Medieval Latin word “clocca” which means “bell.”

Surely Christmas is one of the greatest and most joyous of all feasts. And, as in Ireland during the time of St. Patrick, the bell still symbolizes the Lord’s work. Let us remember that God’s greatest act in all of history began when he stepped into time as a man for the purpose of redeeming us. Let the bells ring in celebration!

The Story Of My Life (Part 1)

Do you start thinking about where your life is headed, what you've done or haven't done when it's quiet and everybody else is in bed? Do you ever pause and add up what your life amounts to or came up short in? Maybe you just feel like a hamster in a cage, turning the big wheel. Life is a treadmill of the same-old, same-old. You're working hard, but it doesn't feel like you're getting anywhere. It seems to me that most people who take the time to reflect on the story of their lives struggle with these incomplete feelings and dead end thoughts. Some people wrestle with them every day. Many take stock of their life and say, "What difference does my life make? Does anybody really know or care about me?"

God has a word for you in Psalm 139. He wants to show you a different story of your life. He wants to give you a view from the top, to help you see the meaning of your life from His perspective.

In Psalm 139:1-6 there are eight different Hebrew words that stack up to tell you that God knows your story intimately: "O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, LORD. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. [This] extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to [reach] it."

Each of these words conveys a different layer of God's knowledge of you. Combined, they picture God like a detective, tracking even our most mundane activities, studying us even when we think we're alone. He dissects our inner world into parts, discerning what makes us tick and why we do what we do. He has penetrated past our best foot forward. He has such a grasp of each one of us on an programming level that He knows precisely what you will say or do next, as if it had already been uttered or performed.

So God knows your heart, your fears, your thoughts, motives, dreams, and frustrations. He knows your past, present and your future. He understands you. He notices what's going on around you, to you, inside you. He gets you. In fact, God has you pegged better than you do. You think your motive for doing something is this, when God, who is not fooled, knows it is that.

That sounds unnerving, but you can rest assured about this: God knows, but He loves you still. When David says that God has laid His hand upon him, he's referring to an OT practice of bestowing a blessing on someone. A wise father would place his hands on his children and speak words into their lives about who they are and will be, what their place in the family meant, and what their future will be. This was one of the most important acts that happened in Hebrew families.

In the same way, your Heavenly Father who knows you bestows blessing on you, borne out of love, that marks your place in His family and what your future is all about. You're not a nobody, because in His family, nobodies are non-existent. He knows the story of your life.

Remind (Part 6)

Joshua 23:14 "And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof."  

Israel came to know God as their protector and guide. They came to know Him as their provider, as they wandered  for forty years without their shoes and clothing wearing out. They came to know Him as their deliverer in battles, and they came to know Him as the God Who heals.  

The Prophet Isaiah declared that the plans of God will not fail:

Isaiah 42:4 "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law." 

This prophecy means that the Lord will not fail nor be discouraged until He establishes justice in the earth.   Jesus did not fail at the cross or become discouraged on His way there.  He set His face like a flint to reach that heaven-set goal of becoming the supreme sacrifice for sin. He was  not discouraged when others misunderstood Him, mocked, persecuted, forsook, and denied Him. He pressed on until His destiny was fulfilled until He was able to declare from the cross, "It is finished!"   Today He continues to be faithful as your intercessor in the throne room of God.     

As you labor to fulfill your destiny, do not become discouraged if your journey seems long and arduous. When the time is right, Jesus will appear in the clouds of glory to catch His people up to the heavens and He will begin the judgment which will bring justice on the world.   Draw strength and determination from the God who cannot fail.  March forward to even greater victories during the coming year.  Moving forward under the mandate of God to fulfill your divine destiny,  allow nothing in heaven or on earth to hinder you.  

Make this final declaration of praise to God:

1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people…according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised”  

Refuse (Part 5)

Judas.  Demas.  Diotrophes.  New Testament characters with one thing in common:  They started to serve God, but did not finish well.  They abandoned their faith and aborted their spiritual destinies.

Then there are also men who failed at some point, but still finished well:  Moses, David, Jonah,  Peter, and John Mark.

The difference between those who fulfilled their divine destinies and those who did not was perseverance.  Those who succeeded set their hearts and minds to finish their course, no matter what the cost.  They begin with the end in mind.  They refused to give up.  If they fell down, they got back up again. 

The story is told of a 19th century violinist named Nicolo Paganini.  He was playing before a  packed house, when one of his violin strings snapped.  He continued to play, improvising beautifully.  A second string broke.  Then a third.  Three limp strings dangled from the violin, but the master performer completed the difficult composition on one remaining string.  The audience jumped to their feet filling the hall with shouts of  "Bravo, Bravo".  This is the kind of perseverance you will need in order to fulfill your destiny.

Another example is a man named Abraham who had quite a record of failure: At age 22 he failed in business.  He ran for the position of United States legislator at age 23 and was defeated.  He failed against in business at age 24.  He had a nervous breakdown at age 27.  He ran for speaker of the house at age 29 and was defeated.  Subsequent defeats followed as he ran for elector and congress--three times--the senate twice, and vice president.  But at age 51, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States and fulfilled his divine destiny.  He led the nation States through one of the darkest periods of its history.

Then there was the minister whose journal recorded his repeated failures: 

-Preached at St. Anne's and was asked never to return. 

-Preached at St John's and the deacons said,  "Get out and stay out!" 

-Preached at St Jude's and couldn't go back there either. 

-Preached by the highway and was kicked off the street. 

-Preached in a meadow and was chased out because someone turned a bull lose during the service. 

-Sunday night I preached in a pasture and 10,000 people came to hear me.

That man was John Wesley, who became one of the most revered ministers of all times.

To fulfill your divine destiny, you must refuse to give up and develop within you the spirit of a finisher!

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"  

Race (Part 4)

 Paul compared fulfilling his destiny to running a race.  He said, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain"  in 1 Corinthians 9:14.  Reaching your divine destiny is not a brief sprint.  It is a lengthy, sometimes grueling race.

A tremendous true-life example is drawn from the 1954 British Empire Games held in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The mile race that was held there is considered to be one of the greatest races of all time. It pitted the two fastest runners in the world against each other: Roger Bannister and John Landy.

From the start, the race was clearly between Bannister and Landy.  Unlike most runners, Landy's method was to move to the head of the pack early and by the sheer power of his physique outlast the other runners who would reserve strength for a final thrust at the finish. Following his usual approach, Landy started fast.

Soon the other runners were dropping back, leaving Landy out in front with Bannister trailing him. Landy and Bannister were maintaining a blazing pace, one that would surely set a new world record.  But who would get to the finish line first?

As the runners came to the final lap, Landy was in the lead ahead of Bannister, as he had been throughout the race. Ahead of him stretched the finish line. Somewhere behind him was Bannister.  Suddenly, a deafening roar arose in the stands. Landy knew what it meant. Bannister was making a last desperate effort to catch him.

The finish line was getting closer and closer, and the roar of the crowd was growing louder and louder. Landy knew that Bannister was catching up, but where exactly was he?  Just before crossing the finish line, Landy turned his head to the left so he could see where Bannister was. Seizing the opportunity, Bannister threw himself past Landy on his right side and beat him across the finish line.  Looking back had cost Landy the race!  This famous race, called the "miracle mile", is enshrined in stone in Vancouver. There are two runners, one turning his head to look back as the other thrusts himself toward the finish line.

As a runner in this race of life, you are to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and focused on your destiny. Do not be distracted by the roar of the crowd.  Do not be distracted by other runners. Do not look back to the old life:

Hebrews 12:1-2 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right band of the throne of God." 

Rekindle (Part 3)

The Apostle Paul received a vision from God that changed his entire life, purpose, plans, nature, and even his name. In this vision, God told Paul:

Acts 26:16-18 "Rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which though hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee. To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. "

God gave Paul a vision of the multitudes of Gentile people. The term "Gentiles" refers to everyone who is not a Jew, so it meant Paul was called to minister to nations of the world other than Israel.

When God gives you a vision, He also provides spiritual and practical strategies for fulfilling it. God gave Paul a detailed plan for ministering to the nations. Paul was to:

 -Open their spiritual eyes from darkness to light. 

-Turn them from the power of Satan to God. 

-Lead them to forgiveness of sins. 

-Reveal their spiritual inheritance made possible by faith  
Paul’s rekindled vision became the central focus of his life. It was the force that compelled him to endure hardship, persecution, discouragement, shipwreck, and physical abuse. It motivated his writing. It directed his travels. It dictated his life style.

Paul remained true to his God-given vision. Despite discouragement, rejection, and persecution, he never lost his focus. God raised him up to be one of the greatest leaders in New Testament times and his ministry is still impacting multitudes through the tremendous books he authored under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Near the end of his life, the Apostle Paul reflected back over his ministry and declared in Acts 26:19 “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.” 

God is looking for men and women who will remain true to their vision.  Abraham caught a vision and never looked back.  Moses was able to lead Israel to the edge of their  Promised Land because he had  a vision.  Joshua and Caleb held on to their visions for forty long years in the wilderness as their generation perished. 

In order to fulfill God's will for your life, you must live out His will for each day.  Then, at the end of your journey you will be able to look back over a lifetime of fulfilling God's plan. You, too, will be able to say "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." If your eyes have grown dim from the weight of the journey, then let God rekindle the flame inside them. You can see once again the fire of God that fell on Pentecost and with your eyes refocused on the prize.

Deception In The Church (Part 7)

James says "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." A double minded or a 2 souled man, is deceived and pulled in a multitude of ways. He can't focus or commit. He is loyal to none, but believes he's loyal to all. There's a constant internal struggle to walk in one direction. Stability is foreign and he meets himself coming and going. God has promised He would have a church, but deception of false doctrines and greasy grace have taken their toll on her in these critical times.  The lack of stability and truth have decreased attendance and support and many house of worship are in foreclosure.

Jesus addresses the same concept in Luke's gospel. He said that we must remain on guard or our heart will become overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness and cares of life until that day (His coming) comes on you unawares. It is literally a warning that if we are not careful we will become so over concerned and over occupied with the problems of life like the rest of the world that our heart becomes weighted by the cares and distractions of life and our spiritual senses will become impaired. We become light headed so we can't think straight, speak clearly (slurred words) or walk straight (stagger) and we will stagger away from our relationship with God. Some of you can't even focus right now on what I'm writing about because you are so overwhelmed by what you will face when you rebuke the devils that have been deceiving you!

When Jesus is asked about the signs of the last days His response addresses this tactic of the enemy. He says we will know we are in the last day when we see days like they were in the times of Noah and Lot. Notice he didn't address sin as signs. He could have said, "You will know the last days are here when you see homosexuality, drug abuse, child abuse, abortion running rampant." No! Instead he listed the 8 things they lived for: eating, drinking, marry, given in marriage, buying, selling, building, and planting. In other words, in the days of Noah and Lot the people weren't consumed by sin, but they were consumed by life! Not wrong, but so deceived by life, they missed out on the spiritual and so they are overtaken by a flood of judgment.

In conclusion, I ask what is deceiving you? What is it that the devil uses to wrap up your mind? What is it or who is it that he uses to wrap up your heart? What does he deceive you with to cloud your focus and to steal your energy? Could it be that good things are getting in the way of God things? If so, remind yourself that greater is He within you than he that is in the world. If we the church can realize this again, the harvest can be gleaned.