TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

TRIUMPHAL ENTRY  John 12:12-19; Matt. 21:1-11

My Bible is about my King - JESUS.

HE is The LAMB who came

to be the world’s SAVIOR!

The Old Testament is the Framework

to show how and why God’s LOVE

set in motion His Act In Christ Jesus

to Put Us Right with Himself.

The sign of Jonah – 3 days in the deep.

The sign of the brazen serpent – lifted up.

Abraham sacrificing Isaac his promised son.

Angels going up and down from heaven.

What does Christ Jesus mean to me!

 

    Holy Week changed the world, with the Cross as the turning point for all humankind. But it is also six days of amazing contrasts—from the joyful celebration of the Triumphal Entry to the Passion only days later. In between are days of both high drama—as in the confrontations in the temple—and high sorrow—as in the Upper Room and Gethsemane.

    The final week of Jesus’ ministry covers a wide range of emotions and events. We see Jesus overturning tables in the temple; people hanging on Christ’s every word; cloak-and-dagger deals made to kill the Messiah; and fervent 11th-hour prayers offered. But before any of that happens, Jesus must first get to Jerusalem.  It starts with Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem, where a hero’s welcome awaits him. The streets are lined with people waving palm branches and singing. They’re ready for Him to be their King—but Jesus’ purpose is far more significant than gaining political status and power.

    Being a Jew was expensive.  People were expected to come to Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration.  More than two million Jews flooded into Jerusalem for this.  With travel being difficult, they had to come early and then stay late.  So there was a huge crowd of people in Jerusalem when Jesus made His Triumphal Entry.  They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him.  They shouted: "Praise God!  Bless Him who comes in the name of the Lord!  God bless the King of Israel."

    Churches of Christ have mixed feelings about "Easter" yet we carefully celebrate His body & blood in the Lord's Supper.  Satan has tried to confuse the issue but he cannot do away with the essential messages of Christmas and Easter.  The Eternal Word came into our world as a human being.  He lived, suffered and died, rose to life the third day, and is alive forevermore.  "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself."  This calls on us to bear witness to our Faith.  “We believe, and therefore we speak.”

    TRIUMPHANT ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

    Hosanna!  God bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  "Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, Blessed is the King who comers in the name of the LORD!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  Luke 19:37-40.  

    The Pharisees complained.  "And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.'  But He answered and said to them, 'I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.'"  Luke 19:39-40.  [Habakkuk 2:11]

    “In humility, Jesus shows He has not come to reestablish the earthly kingdom of David.  He does not ride in a chariot but upon a donkey, an animal of peace.  This is no mere earthly king, but the King of Glory who has come to reveal the Kingdom of God.  Thus, the Church sees the Son of God entering not the earthly Jerusalem only, but more importantly the celestial Jerusalem, to establish His Reign and His Kingdom (see Mark 11:10; Luke 19:37-38).  He is taking the New Jerusalem to Himself as a pure Bride, and the children celebrate His entrance as if it were a marriage (verse 15).”  Wallerstedt

    "Now this he (Caiaphas) did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad."  John 11:51-52 

    "Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth."  Isaiah 49:6 

    "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is , not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."  Hebrews 9:11-12

Little Children And Old Folks

Little Children and Old Folks

 

Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world,

Red & yellow, black & white,

They are precious in His sight,

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

 

    “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me”  Matt 18:1-5 (NKJV)

    "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.^”  Matt 18:10-11 (NKJV)

    “In heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father.” The doctrine of guardian angels is emphatically taught in the Scriptures. See 2 Kings 19:31; Ps 91:11; Heb 1:13; Acts 27:23. Who can afford to despise the children who have representatives right at the throne of God?” — (Johnson’s Notes)

    “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.” Rev 8:3-4 (NKJV)

    Children are a great gift for humanity and for the Church. Recalling in our minds the many happy children brimming with life and enthusiasm, and on the other hand the countless children throughout our world who are living in poverty and need.

    “A society can be judged by the way it treats its children.”

Children remind us that from our earliest years we are dependent on others.  We see this in Jesus Himself, who was born a child in Bethlehem.  This is a precious reminder of the fact the necessary condition to enter the kingdom of God is to never consider ourselves self-sufficient, but in need of help, love and forgiveness.

Children also remind us that we are always sons and daughters. We have been given the gift of life, that we never cease to be radically dependent on others, but especially on God.

    And children challenge us to see things with a simple, pure and trusting heart.  They have the capacity to receive and to offer warmth and “tenderness,” to laugh and cry freely in response to the world around us.  A child’s spontaneous trust in his mother and father, in God, Jesus. Jesus urges us to become like children, since God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these (Mt 18:3). 

    Welcome and treasure our children, who bring so much life, joy and hope to the world.  How sad and bleak would our world be without them! 

    Old People are valuable.   “Hoary head” (Gray hair).  We will all be old people if we live long enough.  We reach a “second childhood” where we become helpless and dependent.  “A society can be judged by the way it treats its old people.”  [abortion & euthanasia are opposite sides of the same coin.]

    “The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray head.”  Proverbs 20:29 (NKJV)

    “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.”  Proverbs 16:31 (NKJV)

    Godly people grow in wisdom as they grow older, so their gray hair is a crown.  Only those who have been blessed with a long life live to become grandparents, and the continuation of the family line is a sign of God's blessing.

    When Abraham was about seventy-five years old, God spoke to him saying, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you" (Gen 12:1). We have heard the story so many times we may fail to consider what was at stake for Abraham in this call. God was calling him to leave all that he had to go to a place that he had never seen. That meant leaving the land of his father, all he possessed and worked for his entire life. Instead of living out his remaining days in security and comfort, with his reputation intact, he became a nomad of faith. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out...not knowing where he was to go" (Heb 11:8). Abraham staked his entire enterprise, his whole destiny on the promise he received from God. He held nothing back, despite the fact that he did not know where he was going. All he had to rely on was God’s word spoken to him.

God's Will Being Done On Earth

God’s Will Being Done On Earth

    God has a Vision for the Ages.  He may not do things as we think He should.  But He knows His Purpose and His Plans.  The dead will be raised to life.  Christ came to open Heaven’s Doors to us.  He is God’s Lamb.

    “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.¹⁰ They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters —their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.” Rev 6:9-11 (NLT)

    How long? These souls shout in a loud voice, asking for vengeance! But did not Jesus ask God to forgive those who killed Him? We answer, these souls do not ask for revenge, but they ask God’s vengeance for God’s sake. By slaughtering them, the world repudiates God! They were told to rest. A white, flowing robe is given to each of them (symbolic of being free from guilt, of being holy, and of great happiness). God hears their prayers, but His purpose is not yet fulfilled. God knows the exact number of martyrs to His cause, and not until this many are sacrificed to Him, will our world come to an end.

    Who is truly faithful to God?

    “For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.”  1 Cor 11:19 (NKJV)

    “What has to happen, it seems, is for evil to do its worst, to reach its height, and so to be at last ripe for the judgment that wise and faithful people know, in advance, it deserves. Way back in scripture, God tells Abraham that his family will have to wait for four generations before coming to possess their promised land, because ‘the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete’ (Genesis 15.16): in other words, God will not judge them until they are fully and thoroughly deserving of it. Here, it seems, two things go together.”  Wright

    “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.²⁹ “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”  Matt 13:28-30 (NLT)

    God will judge in His own time.

    “Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones¹⁵ to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  Jude 1:14-15 (NLT)

    “Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matt 25:45-46 (NKJV)

    Jesus warns His disciples about persecution.

    “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.² For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.³ This is because they have never known the Father or me.”  John 16:1-3 (NLT)

    Jesus says: “I have defeated the world!” We still have battles to fight, but the victory is ALREADY WON!   CHRIST WON!!! This is the source of PEACE. Compare 1 John 5:4-5.

    “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.⁵ And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:4-5 (NLT)

    “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.⁵ Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.⁶ But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”  1 John 4:4-6 (NLT)

    “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.¹⁶ For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.¹⁷ And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”  1 John 2:15-17 (NLT)

    “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.³ And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”  1 John 3:1-3 (NLT)

The Baptism of Jesus

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

    1. One God – Three Persons

    “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...”  Matt 28:19

    “It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Mark 1:9-11

    When Jesus came out of the water, the voice of the Lord was heard as the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the visible form of a dove. .The voice of the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in who I am well pleased."  Then after being filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus went out into the desert where He fasted and prayed for 40 days.  

    Many in the early Church saw Christ's Baptism as the institution of Christian baptism (the baptism that makes Christians). His Flesh blessed the water, and the descent of the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) and the voice of God the Father announcing that this was His Son, in Whom He was well pleased.  This marked the beginning of Christ's public ministry.

    “The Spirit of God descending like a dove was anointing Jesus, through whom salvation would come. This event was like a king's being anointed with oil at his coronation. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to accomplish God's salvation and defeat Satan (see 12:18, 28). This same Spirit empowers Jesus' followers (10:20; Acts 1:8).—NLT Study Bible

    "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.”  Matt 12:18 (NKJV)

    “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”   Col 2:9-10 (NKJV)

 

    2. The Son of God, the Human One.

    “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' ³¹ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." ³² And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  John 1:29-34 (NKJV)

    “And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation...”  Rev 5:9 (NKJV)

 

    3. To fulfill all righteousness

   “But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.”  Matt 3:15

    The key to what took place at the baptism of Jesus is found in these words by Robert Brinsmead.  “A thing cannot be a new covenant sign or seal if Christ as God did not give it.  Neither can it be God’s sign or seal if Christ as man did not also accept it from God and give God thanks for it.  The baptism of Jesus set the pattern for Him to be the first among many brothers and sisters (Rom. 8:29).”  We learn that this event was to be the mark of identification to show the one who was the Messiah (see John 1:29-34).  In the same way, Christian baptism can be viewed as a mark of identification in which the Holy Spirit seals us to God (Eph. 1:13-14).  God the Father voiced His approval of  Christ Jesus in a way which all those present could hear (compare John 12:28). So it was Jesus the Christ, the Word, as a human being, who came both with the water of His baptism and the blood of His death (1 John 5:6).

    “That work was the regeneration of mankind. The word has too often lost its force; it should be recovered. The apostles set out to generate mankind anew. They had not the language; they had not the ideas; they had to discover everything. They had only one fact, and that was that it had happened. Messiah had come, and been killed, and risen; and they had been dead “in trespasses and sin,” and now they were not. They were re-generate; so might everyone be. “The promise,” they called to the crowd at Jerusalem, “is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off.” “ Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost.” They had believed in Jesus of Nazareth, without very clearly understanding him; his Resurrection had seemed to justify them; but much more now they were justified, or rather he was justified. The  thing had happened. In every kind of way it was true that the God of Israel would not leave their souls in hell nor suffer his Holy One to see corruption.”  Williams

God's Tuff Love

God’s Tuff Love.

    “Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe?³² But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:31-33 (NLT)

    God is working in us.

    "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. ¹⁸ For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.” Job 5:17-18

    For us, knowledge means information, facts, and concepts. But in Bible times, knowledge was centered in personal relationships. To know someone is to enter into a close relationship with that person. Knowing God involves much more than simply mastering facts and information about Him. It even goes beyond studying about the nature and character of God. Knowing God means entering into a close relationship with Him. It means identifying with God and learning to view everything as God does. God is our Father.  Getting to know God will transform our thoughts and actions, our priorities and values, and our relationships with our fellow human beings.

    For whom the Lord loves He chastens.

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." ⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten” Heb 12:5-7

    “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

    “The apostle John makes the same point: "The law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love [grace] and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Neither John nor Paul meant that God's grace was not active in the OT, because God has always dealt graciously with his people. But the overwhelming power of God's grace is displayed for us in and through Jesus Christ.”—NLT Study Bible

    “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  James 1:2-5

    Tests and challenges come at us from all sides. We know that under pressure, our faith-life is forced out into the open and shows our true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let the struggle do its work so we become mature and well-developed, not lacking in any way.

    Job worships God

    “Then Job answered the Lord and said: ² "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. ³ You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ⁴ Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' ⁵ "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. ⁶ Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:1-6

    Job was convinced: God can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset His plans.  Job had babbled on about things far beyond him, made small talk about wonders way over his the questions. God gives the answers.  Job once lived by rumors and hearsay about God.  Now he has it all firsthand—from Job’s own eyes and ears!  Through the written word we can see God through Job’s eyes.

    Sin can be forgiven.

    “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. ¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.”  1 John 5:14-17

                “a Christian brother or sister: Literally a brother; see note on 2:9. • Sins that lead to death are those involving apostasy (see Matt 12:31-32; Heb 6:4-6). In the context of this letter, apostasy involves leaving the apostolic faith and joining a heretical, anti-Christian movement such as those denounced in John's letters (see also "Consequences of Apostasy" at Heb 2:1-4, p. 2085).—NLT Study Bible

COUNTERFEITING RELIGION

 

        Jesus warned about the leaven of the Pharisees.  "Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadduccees."  Matt. 16:12  Compare Matt. 15:1-9.

        What if Simon the Pharisee had been the one to meet the Eunuch on the road???  Would he have said something like this?

 

        The Ethiopian said: "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"  Acts 8:36   "And Simon said, 'First, our scribes have searched the Law and found 613 laws.  You must be taught these and be able to speak to each of these laws.  Further, our scribes have found a hundred or more new laws from the silence of God - from the things He did not say.  You must learn these also.  And then we have another problem.  You need to be circumcised, and that is impossible since you are a eunuch.  So I see no hope at all for you.'"

 

        NOT!!!  The truth is: upon the Ethiopian's confession of faith in Christ -"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" - Philip immediately baptized him into Christ!  Which included the Holy Spirit of the Living God as a gift (Titus 3:5-6).  And the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing!  When he got back home he joyfully spread the Good News Gospel that God had acted in Christ to put the world right with Himself!  Old barriers and walls have been torn down. It no longer mattered that he was a Gentile, or that he had been surgically neutered.  Whosoever will may come and be saved eternally!

 

        Damnable heresies come in different forms.  Jesus said of the Pharisees: "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."  John 5:40  They were intense Bible students.  They carefully read & studied each word, researched the fine print, and read between the lines.  But their minds were already made up against Jesus!  They were “agents of change” while they convinced themselves they were preserving The Old Ways.  Thus they rejected Jesus, and crucified Him.

 

Jesus speaks to the Pharisees

You have your heads in the Bible always.

You studied for degrees in the Sacred Books.

And PhDs in books about the Sacred Books.

And you're convinced this will get you into Heaven.

But you miss The Point: IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!

The Holy Scriptures are jam-packed with

huge stomping clues about ME!

But you can't find it in your heart to admit it.

Because then you would have to ask ME

for the eternal life you want so much.

Believe ME and live eternally!

[adapted from Rob Lacey]

[compare 1 John 5:9-13]

 

        Counterfeits.  “God has told us in His precious Word that we should know a tree by its fruit.  Wherever we find the real, we find the counterfeit also.  But praise God for the real.  We find in the time of Peter, when men and women were receiving the power of the Holy Ghost, the counterfeit appeared in Ananias and Sapphira.  But God’s power was mightier than all the forces of hell, so their sin found them out.  Be careful, dear loved ones for your sin will surely find you out.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”   William J. Seymour, 1906

 

        Example of a search for reality:

        Marvin is a guy in the house church and John is one of the main two characters.

 After a few moments Marvin let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know, John. I always thought the institution I left wasn’t working because it had the wrong principles. I thought we were getting the right ones in place so we could finally experience real church life.” Murmurs of agreement buzzed around the table.

 

“But you don’t see it that way?”

 

“No, I don’t. If it helps, I think you’re finding better principles–ones that reflect more accurately the life of the early believers. But keep in mind that following principles didn’t produce their life together. We can observe what happened as they followed Jesus, but copying that won’t produce the same reality.

 

“Jesus didn’t leave us with a system; he left us with His Spirit–a guide instead of a map. Principles alone will not satisfy your hunger. That’s why systems always promise a future revival that never comes. They cannot produce community because they are designed to keep people apart.”

 

“Why do you say that?”

 

“Because they keep the focus on services or rituals, principles turn most people into spectators. By holding up standards and motivating people to conform to them they only encourage people to pretend to be what they are not, or to act like they know more than they really do. Questions and doubts are discouraged and people can’t deal with the things they are hiding. Thus they only let people see the shadow they want them to see, not who they really are. Feeling isolated, they only become more focused on their own needs and what others aren’t doing to meet them. They fight over control of the institution, however large or small, so that they can make others do what they think is best. It is a story that has been repeated for a couple of thousand years.”

 

Following a pattern or copying whether it is 2000 years ago that you copy or if it is the group whose conference you went to just doesn’t produce the same reality. I love that line about He gave His Spirit instead of a map. And I know the part about people pretending is so true. So whether you are in a big church, little church, house church, fluid church, coffeehouse church or whatever, Here’s to everyone, following the Spirit’s leading and to seeking God’s guidance on every decision.

 

Imitaion or Real?

 

Be careful to turn away from the counterfeit and run to the Living God.  As one has said: “We must recover holiness without legalism, boldness without presumption, and power without pride.  When the church does this she will gain the attention of both the heavens and the earth, because her God will be with her in His manifest presence.”

 

There is an energy, a dynamic, a power, a strength imparted by God through the Holy Spirit, love poured out into our hearts that energizes us to act.  “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.  To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily (Colossians 1:28-29 NKJV).

 

 Christian love and spiritual power are intended to be profoundly linked; when they are not, something less than the fullness of the gospel is present.  Strengthened now, in faith, hope, love, and spiritual power, let us look again at the situation in which we and the whole Church are living.

 

Ralph Martin wrote in 1994: “Seventeen hundred years of Christendom are falling into ruins around us.  An age is coming to an end, not just the end of a remarkable century but the end of seventeen hundred years of Christendom.  The greatest apostasy since the birth of the Church is clearly far advanced all around us.”  Yet at the same time we can see that Africa and India have emerged as a new center of Christendom.

 

God has made all mankind with an instinct for truth, a sense of right and wrong, and most of all a hunger for God Himself.  Eventually, truth will win out.  Perhaps after great suffering and great waiting, but truth will win out!!!

 

God is judging His church.  Judgment begins at the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17.  Our choice:  Throw up our hands in despair?  Or Lift up our  hands in prayer, praise, joy, hope!  Note 1 Timothy 2:8.  We are privileged to live in a time that while exceedingly difficult, is also a time where we have seen and will see yet more of the great interventions of God.  But one thing is certain, God is not worried about the situation.  He is not anxious.  He is not afraid.  He is in control and will see to it that all things work out to the good of those who love Him.  The nations may rage.  Mankind may scheme.  God laughs.  Compare Psalm 2:1-6.

 

At her best the Church is full of faults, many warts and wrinkles.  An ideal church is nowhere to be found, but a church with an IDEAL is found wherever there is a church in which the Holy Spirit dwells.  She - the Church - believes that great things are struggling to birth in the womb of the present.  She “abounds in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” ([Romans 15:13].  The Holy Spirit fills her life with a never failing hope.  “Then he said to  me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’  And he said to me, ‘These are the true saying of God.’”  Revelation 19:9.

 

 

JESUS TAUGHT IN PARABLES

Jesus taught in Parables

    God’s Book of Nature shows the pattern of how things work in our world.  Jesus used these as a pattern of spiritual things.  Some are dark sayings with hidden meanings.  Some are more easily understood.  In the NT Jesus used 50 parables in His teaching.

    “Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?" ⁴² And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”  Luke 12:41-43

    “Jesus is not disclosing truth to some while hiding it from others.  He proclaims the Good News of the Kingdom openly to all, but only those who repent and believe can perceive the power of the Kingdom in Him and in their eyes.  The Gospel of God’s Kingdom is powerful, but our heart response determines its fruitfulness in our lives.”  Wallerstedt

    The word of the Kingdom.

    The farmer walked through the fields.  He would dip seed from his bag and fling it across the area.  The seed was always the same.  But the soil received it in different ways.

    "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. ²² Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matt 13:18-23 (NKJV)

    At harvest time all available workers were pressed into service.

    “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  Matt 9:35-38

 

    The Good News of the Kingdom of God.

    It is important to understand that the Gospel (Good News) is not merely an announcement of what Christ has done in the past to save a lost world.  It is an announcement of what Christ wants to do now, and is able to do, in the present time.  It is not merely an announcement of Bethlehem and Calvary, it is an announcement of a living Saviour, a Saviour who is able to save to the uttermost.

    He is our Eternal High Priest.

    “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”  Heb 7:24-25

    He is a Saviour who can save not merely from the penalty of sin but from the power of sin.  “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”  Titus 2:11-14

    He is a Saviour who not only forgives but cleanses from sin.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”   1 John 1:9

    He is a Saviour who is able to keep us from yielding to temptation.  “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵ To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25

    He is a Saviour who ministers on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary.  “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” Heb 8:1-2