God...With Us...Priceless

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”) (Matthew 1:23 NIV)

This was the first miracle of Jesus Christ. He came from heaven and entered the earthly realm as one of us by virgin birth. He began by doing the "impossible" so that we could become like him. 

The human race, sometimes smart, but many times downright evil. Maybe not you but there have been plenty of atrocities committed by mankind that it's no wonder that God himself wanted to wash the earth and start all over again as in the days of Noah.

When the time was right, just as was planned in advance, God, packaged in human flesh came to dwell with us.  Not only did God choose to live with us, he became "The Way", the access to live with Him. 

I don't think we can fully appreciate this unless we attempt to understand the contrast of how evil humanity is and how good God is. 

Any good in man is our attempt to pattern ourselves after God's standards of right. Most people across all cultures have some standard of "good." From birth we know or are taught it's important to honor and obey our parents, tell the truth, not to kill, not to covet or steal...this standard can be found in the Ten Commandments. These standards were not merely written in stone for Moses and the Hebrew people - they are coded into our DNA and can be found in some form in every culture.

God's standard for right which is coded into our DNA should make us "good" right? (Romans 3:10 NIV) Unfortunately there is another nature also coded into our DNA - like a computer virus - For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing (Romans 7:19 NIV)!

Look with me at the evil that humanity has written on the tablets of history. Contemporary names that might be familiar are Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Ayatollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein...just to name a few. In fact I found a list of the Top 10 Most Evil Men, whose author starts his list by saying, 

"The most unfortunate aspect to researching this list was the realization that that I could do a top 100 most evil men and still have a multitude of people for a second list!"

This evil is not an anomaly. One has only to look inside a prison to find the worst offenders of humanity.

Why in the world would a good God want to have anything to do with humanity?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV).

This was the first miracle of Jesus Christ. He came from heaven and entered the earthly realm as one of us by virgin birth. He began by doing the "impossible" so that we could become like him. God so loved us that he dwelt among us.

God...with us...precious.

Yearning & Seeking

"Many of us (me!) can feel the vacuum of this vortex drawing our hearts into this destiny. We (me!) find our inner man longing, stirring, and burning for the great adventure. Live or die, we must press through the walls of (religious) mediocrity and find the Promised Land of our souls." Kris Vallotton, Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle.

Developing A Supernatural Lifestyle: A Practical Guide to a Life of Signs, Wonders, and Miracles By Kris Vollotton / Destiny Image Arm yourself with the supernatural gifts of God! Learn how to grow the gifts of the Spirit in your life and start experiencing victory over your circumstances. Vallotton establishes a firm foundation on how to approach spiritual gifts and then gives advice on discerning prophetic words, visions and dreams. Equip yourself for the Kingdom work ahead. 248 pages, softcover from Destiny Image.

Prayer x Intimacy with God = Revival

Photo credit: Gainesville First United Methodist Church

Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13, Amplified

Boldness and unfettered eloquence. It was obvious to the audience that Peter and John were just common men. They did not bear any of the outward signs associated with success or position in society, and yet they spoke with boldness and unfettered eloquence. This unusual characteristic was a reflection of their relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

I was raised in churches were people in the pew were powerless. Powerless to withstand personal temptation, Powerless to change the world around them. Powerless to give witness to our Great Savior. These churches were targets of public scorn and the leadership called it suffering for Christ.

I can't point a finger at these people, for after all, they did introduce me to the basic principles of our faith, enough to make me hungry for what I see in God's Word. As I grow older and dig into the Word of God with questions on why the church of this age...why do I lack the demonstration of the mighty power of the Almighty God? In all that I am reading and studying is that the church of this age is guilty...I am guilty of a small, self-centered prayer life and ignorance of the God we serve, the God I serve.

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Revival - A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence.

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It's time for revival in our churches. It's time for revival in modern day Christianity.

I'm not calling for tent meetings, or week long events with special speakers and guest singers.

I am calling for daily prayer that leads to intimacy with our Heavenly Father. I am calling for a knowledge of God that comes through the study and application of God's Word - acting by faith on the truth of scripture.

It starts with one.

When our family, our neighbors, our communities perceive that we have been with Jesus, the church, one by one, will become world changers.

The Word of God in Pictures

The Word of God is

• Bread 
• Sword
• Light, lamp
• Seed
• Honey, honeycomb
• Fire
• Hammer
• Mirror
• Silver and Gold
• Judge
• Water

God's Word - The Bible - is Alive and Active

Newton's Cradle

I've been giving lots of thought to my last post on Monday is for Memorizing The Word - The Living and Active Word. I wanted to more fully comprehend the concept that the Word that God speaks is "alive and full of power".

I would like you to think with me about what this phrase from scripture (Hebrews 4:12) means, because as my pastor says, we as Western Christians are "lazy". We read the words of scripture and say, "oh those are nice words, oooo, ahhhh" and then we go on our merry way without very much of an impact. The Holy Spirit has been prompting me to meditate the scripture as a whole, to dig to understand the meaning of the individuals words and context. The applied energy of study brings in the transforming power of God's Word.

This world that we live in - that is the earth on which we inhabit - exists and operates based on laws. These laws were created and established for the efficient operation of our existence by God. By examining the laws that God, himself, created and established we are able to get a fuller understanding of God and His activity on this planet.

To better understand the concept that the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (Hebrews 4:12) I decided to look at science. As I mentioned in my last post one of the first thoughts that come to mind is that there is movement. Something, or someone that is alive has movement. One definition of life that I found is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth (movement & multiplying energy), reproduction, functional activity (movement), and continual change (movement) preceding death. The movement of something that is alive is intrinsic - that is the energy of motion is the very essence of life.

If we look at Newton's Laws of Motion it might help us understand the life changing energy contained in these words "the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power."

Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.Objects will remain in their state of motion unless a force acts to change the motion. The influences which cause changes in the motion of objects are forces. A force may be defined as any influence which tends to change the motion of an object. The state of motion of an object is defined by its velocity - the speed with a direction.

So using Newton's Law of Motion let me rewrite the phrase "the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power" - the Word that God speaks is a force in a state of motion which can be defined by it's velocity - it's speed with a direction. The force of the Word that God speaks contains the potential energy to change the energy - the speed and direction - of our life.

We as humans are also alive. We are at our core of existence are filled with the same life, or "aliveness" - the energy of motion that is the very essence of life that comes from God our creator. Scriptures says that we are created in the image of God. Another way of saying that would be to say that we are created in the "essence" of God. We are not only in the form or construct of God, but we embody an extract of his divine nature in our earthly bodies. This is called our spirit.

Our spirit is alive and the life of our spirit is of the same essence as the Word of God - that which comes out of the Living Eternal God.

There's more, so much more. Hopefully this makes sense. Meditate on this, God's Word - The Bible -  is alive and active. The Holy Scripture is a force of energy that is in a state of motion - velocity - speed with direction. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the power of this simple concept.

More on this in my next post.

Monday is for Memorizing The Word - The Living and Active Word

Statement of Faith from The Faith Project - The Word of God is Alive and Active in Me.

The Bible is very clear that scripture, which is God's Word, written and recorded by anointed men, and preserved through time and history, is the very essence of power.

Hebrews 4:12-13 - For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the [a]breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.

In this verse we are told that God's Word is

• alive
• full of power
• active
• operative 
• energizing
• effective

I have to stop and think on this a while. Meditate on what it means when something is alive and full of power. One of the first thoughts that come to mind is that there is movement. Something, or someone that is alive has movement. 

When I think of something full of power I think of an electrical cord plugged in to the power source. The cord may look lifeless and unimpressive laying there on the floor but when it's attached to a power tool on one end and plugged into the power source on the other end - the energy flowing through the bundle of wires and plastic cord create movement that creates an impact.

Think about a blender or a drill - when the limp and lifeless power cord is plugged into the energy sources the blender comes to life and pulverizes ingredients from peanuts, to peanut butter. Or the drill takes on movement when connected to the power source and is used to create to push back barriers of wood, metal, and concrete to make holes of various sizes.

The Word of God is alive and full of power. We are the limp and lifeless power cord. Created to carry the current of God's energy that comes through the study and application of God's Word.

Memorizing God's Word creates a "power pack" effect. The power of God's Word can be drawn from memory as we speak God's Word into every situation of our lives.

God has been speaking to me as I seek to understand what it takes to live an attractive, powerful life as a follower of Christ. This is the very foundation of walking by faith, because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. There is no other way to have the power filled life in Christ that I seek except to spend time studying and memorizing God's powerful Word. Very simple. Very profound.

I hope that as you read this that somehow it creates a hunger to experience more of God's life changing power in your own walk with him. Read, study and be trained by the powerful Word of God.

For additional resources on studying the Power of God's Word:

1. Precept Austin - Inductive Bible Study tools for unlocking the divine power of Scripture.
2. The Power of God's Word - Robert Preus - This article speaks to "What is the Word of God" an important discovery if we are to thrive as followers of Christ. "...that nebulous and distant word of which modern theology speaks, that word which cannot be found or objectified or even repeated, cannot be kept and treasured in our hearts; we cannot even get hold of it to cling to it."

Monday is for Memorizing The Word - Formula for Spiritual Success

"God's instructions to Joshua preparatory to entering the promised land to fight the good fight of faith in order to possess his promised possessions remains a proven "formula for spiritual success" for saints today who like Joshua have been set apart that we might become experiential possessors of our positional possession of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

As the Lord Jesus Christ calls me to digging deeper into the Holy Scripture and hide more of God's Word in my heart it has become increasingly alive and obvious to me that  for any effort I have previously put into knowing God and his ways - I have barely scratched the surface of it's rich treasures. The more I dig into the Word of God the more I understand that I have ignorantly underestimated it's worth and it's power for my life. All the answers I seek are in God's Word, The Bible. Not only does it contain the answers to my every need (I Timothy 4:8, 2 Peter 1:3) but it contains the power to will (desire) and to do (Philippians 2:13) the instructions to fulfill the promise - and in keeping of them there is great reward (Psalms 19:11).

My memory selection that I am working on is Psalms 119. I chose this chapter because of it's focus on the value of God's Living Word.

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

I'm starting with the first section which is the first eight verses. It is my desire to not only work at committing these words to my memory but to also meditate the words, the meaning and implication of the words.

The word that stands out is "blessed". Who are the blessed? Those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the Lord. The blessing is what I seek so therefore I must be blameless. As  New Testament Believer I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. But this cannot be achieved without the transformation of both hearing and doing God's Word (James 1:22-25).

God's Word is relevant for whatever you are facing, whatever I am facing. The answers to living a blessed life are in God's Word. There is so much more to the Christian Walk - power for every day living - when one studies and abides in God's Holy Word.