TEMPLES MADE BY MEN

"God does not live in temples made by man." ACTS 17:24 ESV

We are not zealous for the establishment of any earthly nation, but for a heavenly nation of kings and priests (Revelation 5:10). We are not praying for the building of a physical temple, but a spiritual temple, a house of living stones, of which Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone, Builder and Architect. We are not looking for the appearance of an earthly Messiah, but a Heavenly Messiah, Who is building His Ekklesia upon the earth; we are not of the earth. This is not our home, for we are from above. Though in the world, we are not of it. We will not eat its meat or drink its wine, and we will not bow down to its idols. Though we live in the shadow of Babylon, we are not afraid of its fiery furnace or its den of lions, for our God is able to deliver us.

The heavens do rule. We affirm it boldly and confidently, regardless of appearances to the contrary. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory belongs to God (Matthew 6:13) - not man, not the devil, not the nations of this world.

THE PATH OF RESSURECTION

"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."
JOHN 11:25

The Cross does not represent Death - it represents Life out of Death. Jesus does not refer to Himself as the Crucifixion and the Death, but He calls Himself the Resurrection and the Life. Even so, this Resurrection and Life implies that there has been a very real, thorough death. You cannot resurrect someone who has not died.

God wills that all of us stand together with Christ on resurrection ground where death has no power over us. That is certainly a powerful ground to stand upon, but there is no direct route to get there. The path to resurrection takes us through the Cross, for there can be no Resurrection and Life apart from crucifixion and death.

MEEKLY ACCEPT THE CROSS

"We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life." ROMANS 6:4

The Cross is the means by which God reduces us to Christ, that we may be raised to new Life. What cannot be accomplished in a lifetime of self-effort is easily accomplished in God through the Cross.

We may take many shortcuts along the way and attempt to escape the inevitable, but the day we cease striving and meekly accept the Cross we find everything is done for us.

THE EKKLESIA UNDERGROUND

"In due season we shall reap..."
GALATIANS 6:9

The good news is that even if the Ekklesia has been underground, it is still growing and developing. When the season is right it will burst forth and once again those who have eyes to see will indeed discern the blade, the head, and the full grain in the head. In fact the blades have already broken ground in several places and we are even beginning to see some grain taking shape. If you have traced the recovery of the Heavenly Order so far then you know there have been many obstacles and hindrances to God's Will over the last six thousand years or so of the history of mankind.

So far God has defeated everything that rose up to challenge His Purpose in Christ. Not only has He defeated it, but He has actually used evil to bring about good and further increase His Son. The Scriptures provide us with every expectation and assurance that God will continue to do the same with our generation. He is very much an active part of world affairs, whether they be secular or sacred.

GOD CHOSE THE WEAK

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."
1 CORINTHIANS 1:27 ESV

The Wisdom of God teaches us differently. This Wisdom tells us that the weak things are chosen to overcome the strong things, and power works concurrently with weakness.

God desires to give you power, but that power only comes through weakness. Any power not obtained through weakness is illegitimate, no matter how spiritual it appears. The only legitimate power is granted to those who have been made weak. Power is birthed in weakness. Many exude a certain "power," but there is not the corresponding weakness. Hence, the power only gives them an occasion for boasting. To remedy this, God has ordained that all who would have His power must first be weakened and made empty - we refer to this as being "broken." The purpose of weakness and suffering is to open the way for His Power. The instrument God uses to weaken us is the Cross. Therefore, the Cross is power through weakness.

NO NEED FOR TEACHER?

"The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you."
1 JOHN 2:27

It was God who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to His Ekklesia, to encourage, edify, and establish all of us deeper into Christ. Can the Holy Spirit in John contradict the Holy Spirit in Paul? By no means.

What then? John was the sole survivor of the first twelve apostles, and now he is very old. Naturally he is concerned with the welfare of the Ekklesia after his death. So God comforts John, and then John comforts us, with this truth: even if we do not have access to the apostle, or prophet, or evangelist, or pastor and teacher, we are still instructed inwardly. The Ekklesia that Jesus is building is not dependent upon the great men or women of God. We are grateful to the ministry gifts when we have them, but we are not dependent upon them for our Life. The Life is greater than the ministers through which it may be ministered.

WHOM WILL YOU SERVE?

"No one can serve two masters, for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." MATTHEW 6:24

The context of this passage is talking about mammon (the love of, and the endless pursuit of, wealth). But the principle applies to everything else. There can only be one master in your life. You can only serve one thing at a time. You are not free to do as you please. Even if you say you serve no one, you are still serving Self. So which will it be? Jesus says if you love Him then you will hate everything else. What does that mean?

It means that you will allow nothing and no one to take the place of the One you love - not for a day, not for an hour, not for a minute. If our love for the Lord is strong then we will learn to hate everything which competes against Him. We will despise anything that seeks to hinder our relationship with Christ.

THE GLORY IS YOURS

"Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power,
and the Glory forever. Amen."
MATTHEW 6:13

There is a Remnant of called-out ones who have seen the Glory of the Son and WILL seek the interests of God's Only Begotten One. In a time when men solicit the glory and honor and power from one another, there is a Holy Nation of priests and kings who will give the Son the glory He deserves, declaring, "YOURS IS THE GLORY, we will render to You, and to You alone, the glory due Your Name."

TESTIMONY FOLLOWS REVELATION

"'Who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"
MATTHEW 16:15,16

Jesus did not teach Peter what to say, He merely revealed Himself to Peter. He did not sit down with His disciples and say, "I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Now repeat that after Me several times, and I will test you on this in the morning." He did not teach them a catechism or a rosary or a mantra or a confession, He merely revealed Himself to them as He in fact is. They made the confession in due course, having revelation.

The Testimony of Jesus always springs forth from the Revelation of Christ. If we do not have the Revelation then we cannot have the Testimony. That is to say, we cannot bear witness of what we have seen and heard if we have not, in fact, seen or heard anything. We try to get people to confess in order that they may ATTAIN to something, but true confession comes forth naturally after they have OBTAINED it.

NOT YET

"We do not yet see all things put under Him; but we see Jesus."
HEBREWS 2:8,9

Today, Scripture acknowledges, we do not YET see all things submitted to Him. I must say I find that word "YET" terribly exciting! That word "YET" means that something is in store for everything that remains unsubmitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. The presence of the word "YET" means its manifestation is inevitable.

We are not pretending to see something that does not really exist - yes, we agree that we do not YET see all things submitted to Him, things are bad, and will probably get worse; BUT we do see JESUS, and for the Christian who seeks first the Kingdom of God, that revelation is sufficient. You may see every fact to the contrary and argue against Him, but we see Who He is by revelation, and by revelation we know that what we see happening in the unsubmitted earth today will be set in order when Christ and His Kingdom are manifest in all of creation.

A CHRIST CENTERED UNIVERSE

"'You have put all things in subjection under His feet.' For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing
that is not put under Him."
HEBREWS 2:8

This possession and subjection of all things to Christ is not a passive, disinterested, distant, absentee ownership, like a clock that was once wound and now ticks all by itself long after the watchmaker has left it. Make no mistake: at the core of this spiritual and physical universe is a living, powerful, proactive Personality at work to bring fallen creation back to its original state, back into line with God's Purpose, Heart, Mind, Desire, and Plan, which is CHRIST FILLING ALL THINGS, CHRIST UPHOLDING ALL THINGS, CHRIST AT THE CENTER OF ALL THINGS!

Come quickly Lord Jesus! May Your Kingdom be manifest!

STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS

""In my prosperity I said, 'I shall never be moved.'" PSALM 30:6

It should be obvious that God will not give us grace while we are still proud. Why? Because He will allow no flesh to glory in His presence. When we cease doing what we cannot do then He begins to do what we cannot. The problem is that we still think we can do so many things. We must learn sooner, rather than later, that "apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Nothing!

But it is human nature to try and do it ourselves. This human nature is the flesh. It prevents us from entering into Grace. God cannot save someone who is still trying to save themselves. Similarly, God cannot do what we are still trying to do. He will wait - weeks, months, or years - until we have exhausted our strength. When our strength is completely gone and we finally go to Him in weakness, He becomes our Strength and we find Grace is there to do the impossible. Then we know it was not us, but the Lord. All praise goes to Him, and we retain nothing for ourselves.

FREEDOM FROM FEAR!

FREEDOM FROM FEAR!
by Chip Brogden

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (I Jn. 4:18, ESV).

Most of our fears are a consequence of not knowing God well enough. Fear comes from uncertainty. If we are confident, secure, and certain about who we are in Christ, and who Christ is in us, then we won't be worried about what the devil might do, and we won't be worried about what other people might do.

Now folks, that's a lot off your plate. Imagine what a relief it would be to just live your life in friendship with God, unaffected by worries and fears about the devil, unmoved by worries and fears about other people - what they might think, what they might say, what they might do.

Think about all you could accomplish if you were truly unafraid. I'm not saying you go out and take foolish risks. I'm saying fear holds us back. God tells us to go but we're afraid to go. God tells us to stay put but we're afraid to stay put. God gives us something to say but we're afraid to say it. God gives us a talent or a gift that will bless and encourage and help other people, but we're afraid we'll make a mistake, or afraid we'll look foolish, or afraid we might fail.

Let me go ahead and allay those fears right now. Let me share something with you that will set you free from fear of failure, fear of making mistakes. I'm still relatively young, but I've been at this for a long time. People say, "How can you know so much and be so young?" I'll tell you why, it's because I've made enough mistakes for three people twice my age. By the time I was twenty I had made enough mistakes for someone eighty. I have failed more times than I have succeeded. I have fallen down, gotten up, fallen down, gotten up, fallen down, gotten up, and sometimes I think God created me to be an example to others of what NOT to do. I'm only just beginning to experience some victories, some successes, some fruitfulness. I've had to learn it the hard way.

But here's what I want to share with you, to set you free from fear of failure, fear of making mistakes, fear of stepping out, fear of stepping up. Here's what God showed me: His plan, and His purpose for my life, is based on my making lots of mistakes. His plan accounts for the fact that I'm going to fail. He already has that factored into the equation. We don't take God by surprise, or derail His purpose, by anything we do or fail to do. His purpose and His plan for your life is not dependent on you never making a mistake. Not only does He know that you will make mistakes, and you will fail, He makes His plans based on the fact that things are going to come along to try and mess up His plans.

Have you ever made plans to do something? Do you plan for things to go wrong, or do you plan for things to go right? Most people come up with a plan and the plan assumes everything is going to go the way it should. But what happens? Something always goes wrong, and then the plan collapses.

For me it happens every Saturday. My wife gives me a little home repair project, and I think it's going to be pretty simple, just need a hammer and some nails and this and that. So I plan to take five minutes to do this simple repair. Then I get five minutes into the project and realize it's worse than I thought, I need a watchamacallit and a thingamajig and I don't have what I need, so now I have to make a trip to the store. They don't have what I need so I have to go somewhere else. Then I come home and the part I thought I needed doesn't fit, I need something larger or something smaller, and now I have to go back to the store again. What should have been a five minute project becomes a five hour ordeal.

Now, do you think God is like that? Do you think He is so foolish as to have one plan that relies upon you and me doing everything perfectly, never making a mistake? Do you think you can make a mistake or fail so miserably that you can outsmart God and thwart His plan for your life?

Certainly we can delay His purpose, and we can bring a lot of unnecessary suffering on ourselves by being willfully disobedient, but if our heart is right and we're doing the best we know how to do then God is able to work everything out for His glory, even our mistakes, even our failures, EVEN OUR SINS. I'm not saying go out and sin, because there are consequences for sin. I'm talking about your past right now. Don't worry that your past disqualifies you, because it doesn't. You can't go back and undo these past mistakes, past failures, past sins. I'm saying don't let fear about your past keep you from loving God now, living life now.

Don't worry about being perfect in the future, because God's purpose for your life is based on you being imperfect. God wants to show the world how He can take anything and bring good out of it, how He can take imperfect people who make mistakes and still do something good with their lives.
That is going to be the history of mankind, we're all going to be amazed one day when we look back and see how God worked all things together for good, brought light out of darkness, and used evil for good.

WORRY FREE LIVING

"Do not worry about tomorrow."
MATTHEW 6:34

Most of us, from time to time or nearly all of the time, worry about something - our health, our finances, our loved ones, and so on. Yet the Scriptures say to take no thought for your lives and be anxious for nothing. Why is worry a sin? I know we consider it "only human," but worry really implies a lack of trust in God. It is believing a lie. Identify the lie and you can quickly discover the Truth. What is the lie? That God is somehow less than sufficient, that perhaps He will not come through for us.

So you see, the enemy gets us to believe a lie, and then gets us to think that we are just being "human." So then we accept something less than the normal Christian life - overcoming - and think that is just the way it is. Remember: satan has no power apart from our belief in his lie.

Daily Dying

"Our old man was crucified with Him."
ROMANS 6:6

Thank God for the Cross of Jesus Christ! For it is there that my sins are forgiven; it is there that the "old man" died. Yet it is also true that there is something as wicked, if not more wicked, than sin, and that is Self. It is true that every sin is rooted in Self.

As we must initially accept His death for sin, so we must daily accept our death to Self. As we are once crucified with Him for the remission of sins, so we must daily take up the Cross, deny our Self, and follow Him. We walk in the narrow Way just as we entered the narrow Gate - by way of the Cross.

Glimpsing Another World

"Suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'" ACTS 22:6,7

All it takes is a millisecond of time for the Revelation to strike you down. I recall when I first received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. I had had many religious and spiritual experiences up to that point, more than the average person. I had been a pastor and teacher for many years. I thought I really knew the Lord. But one day God revealed His Son IN me. I was sitting in the backyard reading the Word and without warning, in my heart of hearts, I "saw" (not with my eyes, but inwardly) Jesus seated at God's right hand, and I saw myself raised and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

That day was like walking out of one room and into another, closing the door behind me. I got a glimpse into another world. I saw the real Jesus and realized He was nothing like flesh and blood had said. Hallelujah!

GREATER IS HE

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 JOHN 4:4

John declares that no matter what comes against us, the One within us is Greater. It does not matter what you feel like, what you see, what you hear, what people say, or what the devil does. It does not matter if Lazarus is dead for four days and is beginning to stink. It does not matter if the girl dies before Jesus can get there. It does not matter if the waves are about to capsize the boat. It does not matter if Paul is stoned and left for dead. Lazarus will be raised, the girl will be brought back to life, and the storm will be silenced, and Paul will preach again.

The Greater is always Greater, and the Lesser is always Lesser. We only have a problem when we see everything else as "greater" and see Christ as "lesser."

No Argument Necessary

"While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him." LUKE 24:15,16 ESV

You see that Christ is revealed or hidden from men as He so desires. So many professed disciples of the Lord Jesus fail to recognize Him.

Even His closest disciples are prone to doubt and unbelief. After the resurrection, Thomas declared, "I will not believe unless I see the scars and put my hand into the wound in His side." When Jesus therefore appeared to them He did not argue or try to convince Thomas. He simply said, "Look! See My hands and My feet!" When Thomas saw the Lord, he spontaneously cried out, "My Lord, and my God!" This is revelation. Revelation does not require any arguing or convincing, as if it all depends on how well we can make a defense of the Gospel. I see no argument in the Lord Jesus, I only see Him. Seeing Him, I am convinced, and no argument is necessary.

Do we look for another?

"When John had heard in prison about the
works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"
MATTHEW 11:2,3

Have you discovered Him yet, and is He enough, or do you look for another? We do not proclaim the preeminence of Christ because it is a nice doctrine to believe in; for us, it is a matter of life and death, because everything hinges on whether or not Jesus is preeminent. If He is preeminent then He is Enough, and there is nothing else but Him, and there is nothing worth proclaiming except Him.

To John in prison, and to us wherever we may happen to be, Jesus says, "No, you did not make a mistake. I am the One, but I am more than you can imagine, more than you dare to dream. Blessed are they who are not offended in Me."

THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS

"The message of the cross... to us
who are being saved, it is the power of God." 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18

It does not matter what your situation is; the Cross is sufficient. If the Cross is the power of God for salvation, then the Cross is also the power of God for your relationships, your spiritual growth and development, your life's purpose, your encouragement and strength, and your victory over everything which hinders and distracts and comes against you. At one time in your life you learned you could not save yourself - that was the work of the Cross.

Now, accept the work of the Cross and learn that just as you could not save yourself, neither can you love God, love your neighbor, forgive those who have sinned against you, cast out devils, be a bold witness for Christ, or fulfill your destiny in your own strength. Just as you once relied upon Christ to save you, so now you must rely upon Christ to live through you every day. Just as you continually rely upon Christ for salvation, so you must continually rely upon Christ for everything else.

Older is Not Always Elder

"Let no one despise your youth,
but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 TIMOTHY 4:12

An older person is not necessarily a spiritual elder. We do not look to the age of a person's physical body when determining their spiritual maturity. Of course, we owe a certain amount of respect to the aged by virtue of their seniority; but they may not necessarily be our elder in the things of the Lord.

One can be older chronologically and be quite immature in spiritual matters. Likewise, a relatively young man or woman can have a deep relationship with the Lord and be light years ahead of those two or three times their age. A young man or woman who knows God is more elder than a senior citizen who does not know God. We cannot judge by the flesh, or we will be misled.

Shalom,
Blog ini merupakan bagian dari pelayanan dunia maya (e-ministry) dari Eagles Nest Ministries dan pelayanan pastoral (e-church) Eagles Nest Fellowship. Pelayanan kami memiliki visi untuk “Memberitakan Kabar Baik, memuridkan dan mengutus setiap anak Tuhan untuk ‘menjadi gereja’ dimanapun mereka berada”.
Pelayanan kami fokus pada penginjilan, missi penanaman gereja, pemuridan dan memperlengkapi tubuh Kristus. Kerinduan kami dapat mengutus setiap anak Tuhan untuk dapat menjadi terang dan garam dimanapun mereka berada sebagai saksi Kristus hingga Kerajaan Tuhan ditegakkan dan diperluas.
Pelayanan kami berada di bawah naungan Tuhan Yesus Kristus, di dunia kami merupakan utusan Injil dari lembaga United Christian Faith Ministries.
Bagi saudara seiman yang mau konseling, turut terlibat pelayanan, mendoakan, bersahabat dengan kami atau menyalurkan dana untuk perluasan Kerajaan Tuhan dapat menghubungi kami di 081330135643 atau email: davebroos@yahoo.co.uk atau melalui Facebook (Dave Broos). Sedangkan bagi mereka yang mau mendukung pelayanan ini melalui dana dapat menyalurkannya melalui Bank BCA no rek 0081824788 atas nama Dave Broos.
God bless you all,
Salam dan doa,
Ps. Dave Broos

WILL HE FIND FAITH?

"When the Son of Man comes,
will He really find faith on the earth?"
LUKE 18:8

This is perhaps one of the most intriguing questions Jesus ever put forth - from a human perspective it almost sounds as if He wonders about it Himself. There is no doubt that He will perform what He has promised to us; but will we perform what we have promised to Him? Can we patiently wait for Him to fulfill His Word, no matter how long it takes?

Rest assured that, "Now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). Two thousand years after His promise we are even closer to its fulfillment.

Shalom,
Blog ini merupakan bagian dari pelayanan dunia maya (e-ministry) dari Eagles Nest Ministries dan pelayanan pastoral (e-church) Eagles Nest Fellowship. Pelayanan kami memiliki visi untuk “Memberitakan Kabar Baik, memuridkan dan mengutus setiap anak Tuhan untuk ‘menjadi gereja’ dimanapun mereka berada”.
Pelayanan kami fokus pada penginjilan, missi penanaman gereja, pemuridan dan memperlengkapi tubuh Kristus. Kerinduan kami dapat mengutus setiap anak Tuhan untuk dapat menjadi terang dan garam dimanapun mereka berada sebagai saksi Kristus hingga Kerajaan Tuhan ditegakkan dan diperluas.
Pelayanan kami berada di bawah naungan Tuhan Yesus Kristus, di dunia kami merupakan utusan Injil dari lembaga United Christian Faith Ministries.
Bagi saudara seiman yang mau konseling, turut terlibat pelayanan, mendoakan, bersahabat dengan kami atau menyalurkan dana untuk perluasan Kerajaan Tuhan dapat menghubungi kami di 081330135643 atau email: davebroos@yahoo.co.uk atau melalui Facebook (Dave Broos). Sedangkan bagi mereka yang mau mendukung pelayanan ini melalui dana dapat menyalurkannya melalui Bank BCA no rek 0081824788 atas nama Dave Broos.
God bless you all,
Salam dan doa,
Ps. Dave Broos

THE OVERFLOWING CUP

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."
PSALM 23:1,5

An anointed head and a cup that runs over - this is the hallmark of the Christian. An anointed head exudes a heavenly fragrance that sets us apart from the world, even though we walk about in it daily. It is bearing the Testimony of Jesus that witnesses of a heavenly reality that is quite distinct from the earthly fact. The cup that runs over means we have an ample supply of the Life of the Lord. If we can contain ourselves then we have yet to touch the Lord. For once we have indeed touched the Lord we will overflow. We will not be able to contain Him.

All who walk with the Shepherd should experience Infinite Supply: a never-ending flow of the Life, Light, and Love of the Lord Jesus Himself. This is the normal Christian life, and it is God's provision for every disciple.

LABORING ABUNDANTLY

"To this end I also labor, striving
according to His working which works in me mightily."
COLOSSIANS 1:29

The one who rests in Christ will produce more fruit than the one who strives with self-effort. This is demonstrated in Scripture and in the real-life experience of countless saints.

There is no question that Paul worked, labored, and toiled. But the difference with Paul is he knew that he was laboring according to Christ working in him. Was Paul lazy? By contrast, he was more fruitful than ever. The end result is his statement, "I labored more abundantly than them all," quickly qualified with, "yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). The "I can do all things" must always be followed with "through Christ Who strengthens me." If we trust in the Life we will be anything but passive.

THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"He will guide you into all truth."
JOHN 16:13

Since Jesus is the Truth, the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth by increasing Christ. The Scriptures that tell us about Jesus are inspired by the Holy Spirit. The ability to understand those Scriptures is given by the Holy Spirit. The fruit that comes from abiding in Jesus is the result of the Holy Spirit.

If you learn anything concerning Jesus and His Irresistible Kingdom by reading this book it will not be because of me. My ability to write is a gift of the Holy Spirit so that Christ will be increased; likewise, your ability to read and comprehend what is written is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And when I stop writing, and you stop reading, and we go forth to put into practice what we have learned, we will do so by, through, and because of the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father has given, to lead us and guide us deeper into Christ.

CHALLENGING THE LIE OF THE ENEMY

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
1 JOHN 1:6

Overcomers are learning to bridge the gap between what they SAY they believe and how they really LIVE.

The one that overcomes is constantly challenging the lie of the enemy and demonstrating the preeminence of Christ over all things. When every lie is destroyed then the dragon is defeated, for it cannot control what it cannot deceive.

Most of what we see and hear is an illusion. It is not the Truth, but a lie, a distortion. Our eyes and our ears cannot be trusted. We must have heavenly vision and heavenly hearing.

DISCIPLES BEFORE MINISTERS & WORKERS

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master."
MATTHEW 10:24

Jesus said go into all the world and make disciples. It is not that ministers and workers are unimportant; indeed they are. But what is the priority? Can a man or a woman truly be a minister or worker on behalf of the Kingdom if they are not a disciple first? Of course not. They can minister and work themselves to death and still be in the flesh, doing many mighty works in the name of Jesus and not know Him at all.

PERSECUTED FOR THE KINGDOM

"All who desire to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
2 TIMOTHY 3:12 ESV

Persecution should come as no surprise to those who seek first the Kingdom of God, because that kind of singlehearted pursuit for things Above will only antagonize those earthly-minded folk who cannot comprehend that level of Righteousness where Jesus is really All and Everything.

Persecution for the sake of that all-encompassing Righteousness, that universal dominion of Christ on His Throne, is the best proof we could possibly give that we really are kings and priests. The depth of our sufferings reveals the depth of our relationship with God, and if our suffering is light then our relationship is certainly shallow. When we can take up the Cross daily and follow after Christ then the centurions of this world will be able to look at us and say, "Surely this person is a son or daughter of God. Not only do they represent Him with their life, they represent Him with their death."

The Blessing is in the Breaking

"It came to pass, as He sat at the table with them,
that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and
He vanished from their sight."
LUKE 24:30,31

After Jesus blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them, their eyes were opened and they knew Him. Until you have the blessing and the breaking your eyes will remain closed. Blessings alone do not open our eyes. Indeed, blessings by themselves tend to close our eyes. We do not come to know Him in the blessing, but in the breaking. Then what we already have in Him will be revealed. Our eyes will be opened and we will see that He has been standing there the whole time.

Do you want to know Him? Do you want to see Him for Who He is? Do you want to go deeper? Do you want to have your eyes opened? Embrace the blessing AND the breaking; receive them both. If you are a bruised reed or a broken cistern, take heart, because you are making progress.

How to Keep the Sabbath

How to Keep the Sabbath
by Chip Brogden
"The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day" (Mt. 12:8).

The Sabbath (and every other thing in the Old Covenant) points to a spiritual fulfillment in Christ. Jesus is not bound by any rule, or regulation, or tradition, that says thou shalt, or thou shalt not. He is Lord over the Sabbath; the Sabbath is not lord over Him.

We who are in Christ do keep the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for us is not a day of the week. It is certainly not a day for attending religious services. It has nothing to do with the calendar. If we want to keep the Sabbath we need only abide, continue, and dwell in Christ, as the branch abides, continues, and dwells in the Vine. For the branch is resting in the Vine. The branch does not struggle or worry or force itself through sheer effort to produce fruit. Instead, it simply lives in union with the Vine, and in that sense, it rests. It trusts in the Life of the Vine to produce the fruit. And this is the principle of the Sabbath rest.

Now we see this rest in Christ. You would suppose that, as the Son of God, He had the liberty and freedom to say and do whatever He pleased. But He frankly stated, "I do nothing of Myself. It is the Father that dwells in Me, and He does the works." This, my friend, is rest. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus mastered the art of observing the Sabbath day. What does it mean? It means I do nothing of Myself. My teaching is not My own, but it belongs to the One Who sent Me. And I do nothing except what I see my Father do, and I speak nothing except what I hear my Father speak. That is extraordinary. But that is what it means to rest in the Lord.

Now our relationship to Christ is to be exactly the same as Christ's relationship to the Father. I do nothing apart from Christ. I speak nothing apart from Christ. And I do nothing and speak nothing in my own strength, but I trust in the life of the Lord Jesus to do in me and through me what I cannot do.

Or, if you like, it is the place Paul describes in Galatians 2:20: "It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me." Not I, but Christ. This is the secret to the Christian life. And may I say that this: "not I, but Christ" is the normal Christian life. It is the way it is supposed to be, from the very beginning.

Remember that Adam's first day of life, after he was created, was a day of rest. Now the Christian life begins the same way. If any one is in Christ, the Bible says that he or she is a new creation. You are born-again; you are born from above. And the first lesson you learn in this spiritual life in Christ is not doing, but being; it is not working, but resting.

How disappointing that the harlot church - the religious system - does not teach you how to enter into rest. It wants to immediately put you to work. And so you wear yourself out, trying to be holy, trying to be more like Christ, trying to please people - the pastor, the elders, your fellow church members. And you sometimes feel as if you can never do enough. You can never give enough, you can never volunteer enough, you can never attend enough. And my, the guilt you feel whenever you say no, or whenever you feel as if you aren't doing enough!

Your first day in Christ is a day of rest. Now let's not get tied down to a calendar. That first "day" in Christ may take weeks or years. We are after the spiritual principle of the Sabbath day, and we are not talking about a twenty-four hour period. This is something you learn and you walk in the rest of your life. How unfortunate that people do not begin with resting in Christ. They get saved, and they go to work for religion, and they are like a slave living in Egypt instead of a Hebrew living in the land of milk and honey. Then after so many years of slavery they become institutionalized, and think this is the way the Christian life is supposed to be.

Well, it is that way for many people, but it does not have to be that way. Your first day in Christ is a day of rest. Works will come. But your first day as a new creature in Christ is a day of rest. It will be a day of rest until you learn what it means to abide in Christ, to dwell in Him, to rest in His finished work. That is the basis of everything else. If the word "season" helps you to understand this better than a "day" then think of it as a Sabbath season. But the first lesson is how to rest. That is the principle of the Sabbath.

I hope you are beginning to see how far and beyond this goes. From this perspective you see how silly it is to get all worked up into a lather over Sunday or Saturday, Sabbath day or Lord's day, what you can do and what you can't do. Those are arguments for little children. Let us go on to maturity. Let us put away childish things and become men and women of spiritual wisdom and discernment. God is after a spiritual condition, a spiritual result, and to get it He goes to work deep within your heart. That is the basis of the New Covenant.

Kings and Priests of Love

""Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
MATTHEW 5:7

God is "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4). Entry into His Kingdom is established upon the principles of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. To live in His Kingdom is to experience the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God on a daily basis. The nature of the Kingdom reflects the character of its King. If this is so, how can we claim to be representatives of this Kingdom of Love and refuse to forgive as freely as we have been forgiven? If we have been forgiven by God then we have an obligation to forgive others - not for their sake, not for our sake, but for the sake of the Kingdom.

It would be inconceivable to claim to be a king and priest of a Kingdom based on forgiveness of sins and, at the same time, allow unforgiveness and bitterness to remain in our personal life. It will be difficult for people to believe God can forgive them if His own people are unable or unwilling to forgive one another.

Thirty Seconds of Seeing

"He turned to His disciples and said
privately, 'Blessed are the eyes which see the things
you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired
to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what
you hear, and have not heard it.'"
LUKE 10:23,24

The object of Christianity is not to give people a teaching or to lead them in a prayer, but to introduce them to a Man. I would rather have thirty seconds of seeing than thirty years of preaching. People can listen to me preach all their life and never understand a word, but if the Lord opens their eyes to SEE Who I am preaching about then they will understand everything.

No Need To Act Spiritual

"Do not fear, for those who
are with us are more than those who are with them."
2 KINGS 6:16

Elisha saw differently, and so he thought, spoke, and behaved differently. So often we try to adopt a certain way of thinking, speaking, and acting in hopes of becoming victorious. If this is your intention then you are already defeated. If victory lies in something you must do then you will never be able to do enough. "Acting spiritual" does not produce victory, for victory is not what I do or do not do: Victory is Christ.

The Secret of Abounding Grace

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you."
2 CORINTHIANS 9:8

God will not LEAD you where His grace cannot KEEP you. That is to say, when we undertake the work assigned to us by the Lord we will find the Life of the Lord is present to give us all the inner spiritual strength to see it through to completion.

I am not saying everything will go smoothly and you will never have any self-doubt or fear. Far from it. But listen to what Paul says: "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8,9). His secret? "I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29). Not I, but Christ. This is the secret to the Christian life and it is the key to all fruitful spiritual work.

Deliver Us From "Things"

"When they had lifted up their eyes,
they saw no one but Jesus only."
MATTHEW 17:8

When we SEE an ever-increasing Christ Who is destined to fill all things, then we will be delivered from smallness and narrow-mindedness. We do not overcome a thing by focusing our attention and directing our energies against that THING. "Things" will keep us busy from morning until night, and from night until morning.

May God deliver us from "things" and show us His Son! We must learn to keep the focus of our heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who MUST increase. Then there is no room for "things" anymore. They are simply swallowed up in Victory.

Radical Adjustment

"If I have told you earthly
things and you do not believe, how will you believe
if I tell you heavenly things?"
JOHN 3:12

The path of progress, of spiritual maturity, hinges upon our willingness to let go of the old ways and embrace the new ways; to rise above the lower order of things and walk in a higher order - a heavenly way, a spiritual way, as opposed to the earthly, natural, carnal way that we are so used to walking. Repentance is a continual process of agreeing with what God shows us about ourselves and then making the necessary adjustments.

The Holy Spirit is intent upon making radical adjustments - to create in us a willingness to look at things differently; an eagerness to begin seeing things as God sees them, regardless of how uncomfortable that may be; to value the things that He values and let go of lesser things; to align ourselves with His Mind and Will for all things; to leave our ground altogether and come onto His ground - regardless of the consequences.

TOUCHING "BELIEFS" VS TOUCHING CHRIST

"Put on the new man which was created
according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
EPHESIANS 4:24

The old man (self) is put off, and the New Man (Christ) is put on - this is Christianity. Christ then becomes my Righteousness and my Holiness. But too many of us take a natural, intellectual approach to Christianity. We think if only we can instruct people concerning the tenets of our faith, or persuade them with a logical argument, or woo them with some emotional plea, then we will have disciples. This is a falsehood. That is not Spirit and Life.

Christianity is not memorizing certain doctrines or disseminating a systematic theology or having people repeat a so-called "Sinner's Prayer." Christianity is becoming one with a God-Man! You can have all the other in its proper place, but for too long that "other" has been offered as Christianity. And so people touch our beliefs, our doctrines, our religion, our theology, our zeal, but they do not touch a Living Christ.

THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY

"Indeed I also count all things
loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
PHILIPPIANS 3:8

For the Christian, Christ is increasing, Christ is becoming larger and larger, Christ is becoming the focus. It is quite simple to see who is, and who is not, living up to this standard.

The more spiritually mature a person is the more Christ-centered they cannot help but become. This is the unavoidable and inevitable consequence of becoming a Christian, a disciple of Jesus. This is how the Holy Spirit leads each and every true believer, and there are no exceptions to the rule. It is as predictable and certain as the sunrise following after the darkness of night.

A WORD FROM TOZER

THE CHURCH - DIFFERENT FROM the WORLD
-by A.W. Tozer.

Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate," says the
Lord. "Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
- 2 Corinthians 6:17

The church's mightiest influence is felt when she is different from
the world in which she lives. Her power lies in her being different,
rises with the degree in which she differs and sinks as the
difference diminishes.

This is so fully and clearly taught in the Scriptures and so well
illustrated in Church history that it is hard to see how we can miss
it. But miss it we do, for we hear constantly that the Church must
try to be as much like the world as possible, excepting, of course,
where the world is too, too sinful....

Let us plant ourselves on the hill of Zion and invite the world to
come over to us, but never under any circumstances will we go
over to them. The cross is the symbol of Christianity, and the
cross speaks of death and separation, never of compromise. No
one ever compromised with a cross. The cross separated between
the dead and the living. The timid and the fearful will cry "Extreme!"
and they will be right. The cross is the essence of all that is
extreme and final. The message of Christ is a call across a gulf
from death to life, from sin to righteousness and from Satan to
God. (-The Set of the Sail, 35, 36).

-From the book, 'Tozer on Christian Leadership', published by
WingSpread Publishers.

LEARNING CURVES

Friends, Most will read the book of Acts and see the first apostles as the epitome of maturity, power and grace who did not need to learn or develop. Indeed as Luke writes Acts he records the events without any value judgements and we could think that each action was exactly as it should have been. Is that so?

In Acts 6:1 Luke records "there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution". Cultural prejudice in paradise! The response of the twelve was to appoint deacons to make sure no prejudice was involved in food distribution since they did not think it "desirable that (they) should leave the word of God and serve tables". Interesting response from men whose feet the Master had washed and who had heard His words "Whatever is done unto the least is done unto me." They still had not absorbed the teaching of Matthew 20:25- 28 given when they were arguing about who was going to be greatest!

The sentence, "But we will give ourselves continually to pray and the ministry of the word." has been used and abused to support a priestly, clergy, special class over the rest of the church. I wonder if the false apostles which Paul talked about used this as well? Was this why Paul was so insistent in his testimony and teaching of Acts 20:33- 35 that apostolic servants work to provide for not only themselves but also for those who are with them?

The apostles were commanded in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria "and to the end of the earth." By Acts 8:1 they and all the church were still in Jerusalem but due to "great persecution.... they were all scattered... except the apostles". The apostles were the ones who heard the command to go and they were the only ones who stayed? Why were they able to stay? Acts 6:7 records that "a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith". Had the apostles become friendly with or enough of a part of the religious establishment that they were protected and did not have to flee with the "ordinary" believers?

Even when the apostles had begun to go, Galatians 3:9 records that they were only still going to the "circumcised" while giving "the right hand of fellowship" that Paul and Barnabas should go to the Gentiles. Twelve for a minority group in the empire and and two for the rest of the world? The truth, of course is that the twelve did go to the world and gave their lives for the gospel but it took them awhile! They had their journey. They had their learning curve.

Maybe this is why Paul was a bit dismissive of them when he says that James, Peter and John "seemed to be something" twice in Galatians 2:6 and then says that they "seemed to be pillars" in verse 9. Or maybe Paul's problem with them was them being unclear over the circumcision thing and having to confront Peter on that one?

Why did he have to confront Peter? When Peter was alone with them, he ate with both the Gentiles- no problem but when the believers from Jerusalem came who were still jealous of the law, Peter separated himself and would no longer eat with the Gentiles. Galatians 2:11- 14 records that Paul, rebuking him for his duplicity, "withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed.... before them all" since this duplicity had already spread to the rest of the team. This is real iron sharpening iron and being done publicly. Do you think Paul was out of line? Do you think those you walk with would accept public rebuke?

It could be said that one of the steepest learning curves for the apostles was how to share the Kingdom without imposing their Jewish culture and background. Peter needed a vision to prepare him to go to the house of Cornelius. The first council was convened to settle this issue. One of the most heartening comments about "The Luke 10 Manual" comes from a brother who has chosen to remain in his muslim culture, "This manual presents the Kingdom of God stripped of all western religious institutionalism and culture values like nothing else that I have read." May I encourage you to go to www.lulu.com and order your copy?

Many have commented that one proof that the Scriptures are inspired is that they give a real accounts of the heroes of faith, not sanitized, romanticized and idealized fictions. The struggles are there. The failures are there. The world is not offended by our struggles. It is offended by our attempt to hide our struggles and failures behind masks of spirituality and perfection. Humility and struggle does not offend but hypocrisy does. Yes, the early apostles and the early church had a learning curve.

I trust that does not offend you.
I trust that encourages you.
We have certainly had our learning curve!
Thanks to all of you who are sharing our journey.
Steve & Marilyn

A CHALLENGING STORY

Friends, let me share a story with you as related to me by a Canadian friend who spends significant time in India. His last trip there was earlier this year during which time he met an Indian brother with a very challenging testimony. This brother, whose name is Randeep, was a nominal, Christian who identified himself as such simply because his parents were Christian and he was not a Muslim or Hindu.

However, his mother became an ardent follower of Jesus and felt to go to an area in Northern India near the border with Tibet. Her family felt she was crazy and refused to go with her so she went alone. Two years later Randeep and his Hindu wife decided to visit her. While Randeep was walking along a street he saw a Hindu priest trying to cast evil spirits out of a totally demonized woman who was writhing on the sidewalk. As he walked past, he heard a voice command him to pray for the woman and set her free. He kept walking arguing with the voice that he did not know what to say. Again the voice came commanding him to help the woman and said, "Do you not think I can manifest myself through anyone on this street should I choose to do so?"

He walked back and as he did so heard the priest telling the woman to bring certain offerings to the temple. Righteous anger rose up in him and he rebuked the priest for laying more burdens upon the woman and then laid his hands upon her to pray. To his amazement, for the first time in his life, he began to pray in tongues and the woman was set free.

The next morning he woke up to the noise of a crowd milling around outside the house. He became afraid that something had gone wrong with the woman and they were there to beat him up. So his mother went out to see what was going on. They asked her, "Does Jesus lives here?" "Yes He does.", was her reply. So they invited the crowd into the house and prayed for them all. That was the beginning of seven years of great grace and miracles.

Soon his mother was saying to Randeep that he needed to begin to teach the new followers but his question was what to teach them? Knowing it was Jesus who had spoken to him, he began to read the gospels to find out who Jesus was and what He did. Reading that Jesus had twelve disciples, he did the same and began to follow Jesus with them. Realizing that their state had twelve districts, after three years with his disciples, he sent them to start all over again in each of those twelve states. That was fifteen years ago and now this movement has baptized over 150,000 plus those baptized by other teams they have trained.

Once he had sent out his twelve disciples Randeep needed to start over again and seeking to obey Jesus in Luke 10 he moved to a new city and began to walk the streets. After three months of praying, walking, blessing the city and seeking a man of peace, a man came to him and said, "I have seen you walking by day after day. Why?" Randeep explained what he was doing and the man asked him to come into his home to pray for his sick wife. Jesus healed the woman and that home became the house of peace for the beginning of a new multiplication of the generations of Jesus Christ.

As my friend interviewed many to understand the dynamic of the movement, one phrase was repeated over and over. The phrase? "The Holy Spirit spoke, the Holy Spirit moved me, the Holy Spirit led me..." These believers had been connected to Jesus by the Holy Spirit. They had not been connected to a human leader, to a book, to a doctrine, to a system- they had been plunged deep into relationship with Jesus.

It is sad that one of the challenges this movement has to face is from western missionaries who have come to them and charge them with not planting "real" churches since they have no buildings, no bible schools and no paid, professional clergy. How can they be so blind? Jesus forgive them. How do these followers of Jesus respond to that charge? "We are simply following the example and words of Jesus. We are healing the sick, casting out the demons, raising the dead, baptizing those who believe, making disciples who do the same and forming communities of disciple who meet where ever life happens. Where is your fruit?"

We are challenged again about the simplicity of following Jesus
Jesus you capture our hearts again and again
Steve & Marilyn

www.harvest-now.org

Ziklag: The Test of Kings

Ziklag: The Test of Kings
by Chip Brogden

http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/ziklag-the-test-of-kings.html


"...But David encouraged himself in the Lord His God."
(I Samuel 30:6b).


Early in my Christian walk I somehow reached the erroneous conclusion that if you love God and do what His Word says then nothing bad will ever happen to you. This idea was reinforced by teachers and preachers who claimed that people who knew how to exercise their faith and operate under the anointing and walk in the Spirit would never get sick, become depressed, lose money, or come under spiritual attack.

Time and experience are patient teachers, and in their classroom I learned a different view of life.

Consider the life of David, "a man after God's own heart", the "sweet psalmist of Israel." Surely a man after God's own heart will never have to experience terrible trials, afflictions, misunderstanding, suffering, rejection, pain or misfortune!

But in David we see that even someone who is after God's own heart, someone who seeks Him early and often, someone who desires Him more than anything else - yes, THAT kind of person, ESPECIALLY that kind of person! - will be called upon to endure some of the most excruciating physical, emotional, and spiritual rigors imaginable.


DISASTER AT ZIKLAG

David's problems began as soon as he was anointed! As soon as his calling and destiny was confirmed by Samuel the prophet, David became a target for the jealous rage of Saul. The anointing, for David, was like a huge sign around his neck that invited trouble.

I Samuel 30 records one of the severest tests in David's life. Circumstances would force him into a "do or die" situation. His response to this test would either confirm his destiny as king or destroy him completely. There would be no warning for what was about to happen, and there would be no second chances.

"And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives" (I Samuel 30:1-3).

How do you respond to impossible situations? How do you react when everything you hold dear is taken from you? The first reaction is quite natural, quite human, and quite understandable:

"Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep" (I Samuel 30:4).

I cannot imagine what those six hundred screaming, crying men sounded like. It must have been the most awful sound in the world. They wept, and cried, and screamed out in agony, until they had no more power to weep. How long did this go on? I don't know, but the episode left them emotionally bankrupt, absolutely numb from grief, with no more power to cry even though they wanted to.

But it would get worse before it got better!


WILL YOU CHOOSE TO GET BITTER, OR GET BETTER?

"And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters..." (I Samuel 30:5,6a).

Not only did David have to deal with his own personal loss, but he also had to deal with the combined losses of his men, who were now looking for someone to blame. David, as the leader, was the most likely target. Facing Goliath is one thing, but dealing with six hundred angry, grief-stricken men is another.

It looked like David was done for. Six hundred angry men coming against one man. There could be no escape from this.

I believe that every one of us will, at least one time in our life, come face-to-face with a Ziklag experience. Everything you have in this world is either taken away or burning down right before your eyes.

Friends, I have learned that when things like this "come to pass" in your life, you have a choice. You can get bitter, or you can get better. Six hundred men chose to get bitter. That is the easy path. One man chose to get better. That is the narrow path.

Kings are anointed by God and selected based on how they respond to situations like this.

How would you respond?

In a similar situation, many of us would have had this conversation with ourselves: "I thought God had called me. I thought God had anointed me to be king of Israel. But that was a long time ago, and I have seen nothing but trouble ever since. I have spent the best years of my life running from Saul. I did the right thing, and now I'm being punished. What do I have to show for it? Absolutely nothing! I've lost my family and everything I have is going up in smoke. The people are ready to stone me. Everything is against me. I quit! I give up! Just let me die so I can have some peace! God can keep his anointing, it's too much of a price to pay."

I know most of us would say this because most of us HAVE said this at one time or another. I have given up many times (at least temporarily) because the pressure was too great. The easiest thing to do in a situation like this is to just lay down and die. And that is what most people end up doing.

David had an opportunity to do the same thing.

This verse could have very easily read:

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters. So David gave up, and the people stoned him, and tossed his body onto the burning rubble of Ziklag. And God was very displeased and began looking for a new king..."

This worst-case scenario is actually played out in real-life with real brothers and sisters who have a real calling from God but are on the verge of giving up because Ziklag has left them wounded, hurt, bitter, disillusioned, jaded, frustrated, or disappointed.

Brothers and sisters, Ziklag can either be your graveyard or your greatest opportunity. The decision is yours.


"BUT DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF"

What did David do?

"...But David encouraged himself in the Lord His God." (I Samuel 30:6b).

Thank the Lord for "but"! The sheer weight of things was piling up. The pressure was enormous. One bad thing after another was coming against David. One tiny word - "but" - introduces something new, something different, something that rises up to stand against all this doom, depression, disillusionment, distress, and desperation.

Nothing had changed and the situation looked hopeless - but David encouraged himself in the Lord His God.

In a similar situation we might call the pastor to come pray for us. We might look for a prophet to give us a word. We might go to our brothers and sisters and ask them to pray for a breakthrough. If we have people around us then we can and should ask for their prayers and support. Yet David had none of this.

What do you do when all visible means of support have collapsed? What do you do when the people you used to be friends with are now ready to stone you? And what do you do when you are all alone? The easiest thing to do is quit.

"But David encouraged himself in the Lord His God."

One translation says, "But David strengthened himself in the Lord His God." Another version says, "But David took courage from the Lord His God."

How did he do it? Was it a special song? Was it a special prayer? Was it something he confessed? Exactly how did David encourage himself?

We do not know, because the Bible does not say specifically. He probably did a little of all the above. He probably went back in time and remembered how the Lord helped him to kill the lion and the bear who tried to steal his father's sheep. He probably thought about the time the Lord helped him to slay Goliath. He probably thought about all the times when the Lord had delivered him from being destroyed by Saul.

All that is speculation, but here is what I want you to know: if David could encourage himself in the Lord, so can you. You can encourage YOURSELF.

Since most people are takers, and not givers, most people are looking to receive encouragement, not give it. It is very difficult to find encouragement in other people. I am always appreciative of encouraging letters and kind words when I receive them, but I cannot always depend on other people to encourage me. Neither can you.

"But David encouraged HIMSELF."

You have to learn to encourage yourself. You will not always find encouragement in your circumstances. It is not easy to look on the ashes of your life and imagine anything good coming out of it. Fiery trials and difficult tests are not conducive to encouragement. Most of the things in this world are specifically designed to DIScourage you.

"But David encouraged HIMSELF."

When the enemy says, "You've lost everything", you can encourage yourself in the Lord your God!

When friends forsake you and the people say, "It's all your fault", you can encourage yourself in the Lord your God!

When your circumstances say, "You'll never make it out alive," you can encourage yourself in the Lord your God!

What is the secret to David's strength? Where did David find encouragement? Certainly not in his situation. Not in the prophet Samuel. Not in his family and friends.

"But David encouraged himself IN THE LORD his God."

In the Lord! In the Lord! In the Lord!

This is why Paul could say, "When I am weak, then I am strong. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! Because it is GOD Who is working in you, and He WILL complete the good work He has begun in you, and ALL THINGS are working together for good according to HIS purpose!"

This is not some kind of positive confession, faith-promise formula. It is not up to you, it is up to Him, and since you have nothing to lose anyway, you have everything to gain by casting yourself completely upon the Lord and finding your strength IN HIM.


PURSUE AND RECOVER ALL!

When David had encouraged himself in the Lord, and asked God what to do next, the Lord said,

"Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all" (I Samuel 30:8b).

And so David wiped away his tears, took his sword, led his six hundred angry men into battle, defeated the enemy, and recovered everything they had lost.

That's what it means to be a king.

On that day, David turned tragedy into triumph. He passed the Ziklag test. He did not have his crown yet - that would come later, but that did not matter right now. He did not need a crown or a throne to prove he was a king. His kingship was demonstrated there in the rubble of Ziklag, where he learned to encourage himself in the Lord His God.

Don't ever give up! Ziklag is not your final resting place, it is only the test of kings. Encourage yourself in the Lord, pursue, recover, and move forward. This is your destiny, and this is the word of the Lord to you. May it be so!


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden

The Two-Fold Work of the Cross

The Two-Fold Work of the Cross
by Chip Brogden

http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/the-two-fold-work-of-the-cross.html

"Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (I Peter 2:21).

If we were to ask a Christian, "Have you accepted the work of the Cross?" Many of them would say yes. If you ask them what the work of the Cross is, they would respond by saying that the work of the Cross is the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus for the sins of the world.

While this is true enough, it can be misleading. A better question to ask is, "Have you accepted the two-fold work of the Cross?" Try this out on a few Christians and you will probably get a puzzled reply along the lines of, "What is the two-fold work of the Cross?" That is because most people are only familiar with one side of the Cross, not both sides.

For many years I was only taught one aspect of the Cross - that is, the cross on which Jesus died for me. That is all I knew, and so that is all I taught. On this cross He was crucified as my substitute. He laid down His life for me. His precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of my sins. Not only that, but the Bible says that God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. John the Baptist calls Him, "The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the whole world."

By identifying with His sacrificial death, He becomes our Substitute. We enter into His finished work. We are made one with Him there on the Cross. Thank God we do not have to pay this debt, for it has been paid for us. We do not have to go to the Cross and be crucified for our sins.

I would suggest that almost every Christian is familiar with this aspect of the Cross. It is the foundation of evangelicalism, the basis of millions of sermons to millions of believers. It is the truth, and we thank God for the truth whenever it is proclaimed.

There is another side to this Cross, another dimension of the same truth, which is not as well-known, and is hardly preached at all. As a result, many believers are content to embrace the "Sinner's Cross"; that is, they have confessed Jesus as Savior, and they understand and accept Him as their Substitute. It is certainly true that Jesus is our Substitute, and that He died on the Cross for us. But as we have said, there is a two-fold work of the Cross.

Peter alludes to this two-fold work when he writes, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." Christ suffered FOR us; that is the first aspect. But He left us an EXAMPLE; that is the second aspect.

So the work of the Cross is two-fold. First, Jesus is our Substitute. Secondly, He is our Example. In the first case, He took up the Cross. In the second case, I take up the Cross. The first work of the Cross is for the Sinner; the second work of the Cross is for the Disciple.

Jesus said that the way to Life is through a narrow Gate and a difficult Path. The Gate is only the beginning of the journey; it is not the destination. So we must have both the Gate and the Path. One is not complete without the other. Once we are through the Gate, there is a Path for us to walk. The Gate makes it possible for us to walk the Path, but the Gate is incomplete without the Path. The Life is at the end of the Path, not at the beginning.

This corresponds to the two-fold work of the Cross. The "Sinner's Cross" is the Gate. Because Jesus is my Substitute, I can now walk the Path. The "Disciple's Cross" is the Path. Now I am following His example. Can you see the difference?

Jesus says the way to Life is through a Narrow Gate and a Difficult Path. The Narrow Gate is Christ. It is Narrow because He is the Only Way. But why is the Path so difficult? Partly because it is much easier, much more appealing, to accept Jesus as a Substitute than to accept Him as an Example. Stated differently, it is much more appealing to accept Jesus as Savior than to accept Him as Lord. With a simple prayer I can acknowledge Him as my Substitute and Savior. But to make Him my Example and my Lord, to actually walk in His footsteps, is not so appealing.

Why? In the first case I simply embrace the "Sinner's Cross" and everything is done for me. But in the second case I must take up the "Disciple's Cross" and actually follow in the steps of the Master. It only takes a moment to pass through the Gate, but the Path takes a lifetime of walking.

Peter wrote of this two-fold work of the Cross, but we see in Matthew 16 that he did not always have this understanding. In Matthew 16 we see Jesus as our Substitute and our Example all in one chapter. First there is Jesus as the Substitute. He begins to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed, and raised the third day. For His sins? No, for our sins. So in this He is our Substitute.

Peter, taking offense over this, pulls Jesus aside and begins to rebuke Him. Imagine! Peter is rebuking the Lord Jesus over this issue of the Cross. It is, indeed, a difficult thing to comprehend. But Jesus turns and rebukes Peter. Yes, it will be so. I will go to Jerusalem and die for the sins of the world. I must complete My substitutionary work.

But the two-fold work of the Cross goes deeper than the physical death of Jesus. And so Jesus immediately begins to speak to them, not about HIS Cross, but about THEIR Cross:

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it'" (Matthew 16:24,25).

Peter objected to the death of the Lord Jesus and wanted to prevent His crucifixion. The Lord Jesus responded that not only must the Master be crucified, but anyone who desired to follow after the Master would, of necessity, have to take up their Cross as well.

Peter eventually learned this lesson, and it is time we learned it as well. Jesus is both my Substitute and my Example. Jesus, is both my Savior and my Lord. Jesus is both the Narrow Gate and the Difficult Path.

If there is any doubt as to the reason for a lack of power, a lack of joy, a lack of faithfulness, a lack of Spirit-and-Truth today, we need only examine a person's ultimate attitude towards the Cross. Is the Cross, to them, something that Jesus saved them FROM, or something that Jesus saved them FOR? The fruit, or the lack thereof, tells the whole story. For there never will be, and there never can be, any fruitfulness apart from embracing the two-fold work of the Cross.

The question will of course arise: can Jesus be Savior, but not be Lord? Can I accept the salvation but not the discipleship? Can I enter the Gate but not walk the Path? And the underlying concern is really this: can I pray the Sinner's Prayer, live any way I please, and still go to heaven when I die?

The question itself is very revealing in the ones who ask it. Consider that it takes two beams to make a Cross; one beam is not enough. If we accept only half of the two-fold work of the Cross then we have not truly embraced the Cross. If we continue to preach an easy Gospel and bring sinners to an easy Jesus by having them pray an easy prayer then we are guilty of propagating another gospel, a false gospel, a Gate without a Path.

The Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus with the exact same concern: what must I do to inherit eternal life? His primary concern was going to heaven when he died. For many Christians that is the ultimate objective and the motivation behind everything they do. In actuality, Jesus said comparatively little about "going to heaven when you die." But He had quite a bit to say about being obedient to the will of God and producing fruit while you're still living here on earth.

To the Rich Young Ruler who wanted to be saved, Jesus offered discipleship, not salvation:

"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.' But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!'" (Mark 10:21-23).

Not "how EASY for them to enter the Kingdom of God", but "how HARD it is". The two-fold work of the Cross is a hard saying for rich and for poor alike. Many turn away sad and sorrowful at the thought of taking up the Cross as a disciple. For that reason, only the first half of the two-fold work of the Cross is preached.

I suspect that the Rich Young Ruler would have eagerly accepted Jesus as his Substitute - because the subtle implication is that since Jesus died on the Cross, I won't have to die! But like all the other suggestions of the adversary, this too is only a partial truth. For the whole truth is that the work of the Cross is two-fold, and we can embrace both, or neither, but we cannot keep one and discard the other.

You may be concerned that if we make salvation contingent on discipleship then fewer people would get saved. That's exactly the point. This is precisely what Jesus meant when He said, "Few find it" (Matthew 7:14b).

So what are we do to? Should we continue to give false comfort to those who are unwilling to take up their Cross, deny Self, and follow Jesus? By no means. Instead, let us endeavor to show others, by example, that the only way to Life is through Death; the only way to reign with Him is to suffer with Him; not those who hear, but those who hear and put into practice, are His true disciples.

May the Lord Jesus Himself bear witness of these things, that they are true. Amen.

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
Chip Brogden
http://www.TheSchoolOfChrist.Org