Lk.10:30-37, “Then Jesus answered and said, ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down the road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.” So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”’
This parable was spoken to a scribe testing Jesus by asking Him about inheriting eternal life. Jesus answered with a question of His own, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it” (Lk. 10:25-26)? The scribe answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk. 10:27). Jesus told the scribe had answered rightly; the scribe then asked his real question: “Who is my neighbor” (Lk. 10:29)? At this point Jesus gave the parable. To truly understand the gravity of this question and His response, it is important to know background information about both Pharisees and Samaritans.
Scribes were Pharisees, lawyers who were experts at their own interpretation of the Law of God. Jesus was often followed by them in hopes of tripping Him up so He could be accused of blasphemy and executed. Pharisees represented the religious spirit of their day and formed their own exclusive society which excluded everyone who didn’t live up to their standards. They loathed others, even other Jews whom they considered to be sinners, unworthy of their high calling. Every Pharisee concluded only another Pharisee could legally be considered his neighbor, deserving preferential treatment. Everyone else was a lower form of humanity or equal in status with an animal. So it was with sinners, tax collectors and Samaritans.
Samaritans were a mixed culture which was created by Assyria when the northern kingdom of Israel was captured and deported through Assyrian occupation. Hosea prophesied the demise of the ten northern tribes of Israel through the names of his children, Lo-Ruhamah meaning, “I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel”, and Lo-Ammi meaning, “You are not My people, and I am not your God” (Hos. 1:6-9). Shortly after this prophecy, Assyria swept down and captured Israel and removed all occupants of the land, replacing them with people from other conquered territories. 2Kgs. 17:24-41 details this event and describes how God released lions which began to kill new occupants of the land. They asked the Assyrian king to send a priest who would teach new occupants rituals of the God of this new land so lions would no longer be a threat. 2Kgs. 17:33 explains, “They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.”
Samaritans were of mixed nationalities and mixed religion. They were the most hated of all peoples by Jews, especially by religious Pharisees! Samaria’s geography was an issue of controversy, located between Judea in the south and Galilee in the north. Jews who wanted to travel from Judea to Galilee would go 100 miles around the outskirts of Samaria so they wouldn’t have to go through it! Racial and religious hatred was so intense between Jews and Samaritans that raiding parties from both sides would often attack border settlements killing each other. Without knowing the background of hatred and disdain for Samaritans, one wouldn’t understand the audacity of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan or His acts of compassion for the least of society, even for Samaritans! Each week in synagogues, Pharisees would publicly curse Samaritans. They could never be permitted in synagogues nor could they ever inherit eternal life according to Pharisee law. If a Pharisee ever came across a Samaritan child in danger, they would never intervene because it was better the child die than grow up to adulthood as a mature Samaritan.
In this heated racial and religious environment Jesus “needed to go through Samaria” (Jn. 4:4). No Jew ever needed to go through there; it was not safe and Jews had no dealings with them. Yet, Jesus went through this forbidden territory because He had an appointment in Sychar with a woman at Jacob’s well, resulting in many Samaritans believing in Him (Jn.4:1-42). Jesus saw all men as His Father’s creations and loved them despite popular opinion. His compassion toward sinners, tax collectors, and Samaritans was underscored by His anger at the religious system represented by Pharisees who hated and persecuted those considered beneath their high standards. The parable of the “Good Samaritan” is representative of Jesus’ compassion and anger at Pharisees’ religious beliefs. The attitude of the scribe who tested Jesus was similar to any Pharisee concerning the man attacked on his way to Jericho. First of all, every Jew knew you didn’t travel that road alone! You always traveled in the company of others for safety.
The Pharisee mindset was the man was asking for trouble! It was also logical to a Pharisee that a priest passing by a wounded man in a ditch wouldn’t stop to offer aid because if he touched the man who may be dead, he would have been considered ceremonially unclean for a period of days and couldn’t conduct his priestly duties on schedule. Therefore, it was reasonable for the priest to pass by! The same rationale existed for the Levite who passed by the wounded man, even though he looked at the man and presumably knew he was still alive. Obviously, the Levite’s religious duties were too important for him to alter his schedule—very reasonable to understand for any Pharisee! The ultimate bad guy in every Jewish story was the hero in Jesus’ parable–the Samaritan. Any self-respecting Jew would believe it was all over for the wounded man in the ditch when the Samaritan was introduced in the parable! The Samaritan would most certainly finish the man off! But Jesus turned the parable back on the scribe with His story of ultimate compassion. Not only did the Samaritan care for the man, but he committed financially to whatever extra care was needed to bring the man back to health. This was unthinkable for a Pharisee, especially a scribe, to even acknowledge possible. In attempting to trick Jesus in His doctrine, the scribe exposed the Pharisee religious system’s hypocrisy! Jesus asked the scribe, “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?” The scribe was even unable to say the word “Samaritan”; instead, he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:36-37).
I have learned valuable lessons from this example of Jesus’ compassion. I know I can become so involved in ministry, busy doing good works, I miss divine intersections Holy Spirit sets up for me, just like the priest and Levite. I also have to admit I too often have to check my attitude toward those who have fallen into sinful conditions–they should know better! Even worse, I confess I often have a Pharisaical attitude toward brothers and sisters caught up in a religious spirit. Instead of praying for them, I criticize and fall into a similar if not worse trap by becoming “an accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10)!
My prayer is that these past three month’s articles have caused you to take pause and consider your lives in relation to Jesus Christ’s compassion. Having done so, like me, you may have some repentance and renewing of the mind that must occur. Know this, God is good and His desire is for transformation in our lives to bring us into conformity with His. Trust Him and be assured He who began that good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). Amen.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
A Distinctive Memory By: Connie Hunter-Urban
I flipped my long, dark-brown ponytail from my shoulder and stuck my tongue between my teeth in an unconscious attempt at concentration. I wasn’t very good at jacks, but I had made it through the threes and was going into my fours. I shifted my legs, bending my left one to rest beneath my right leg, which was extended from beneath my shirt-waist dress. I tossed the jacks in a sideways motion, bounced the ball while I put four fingers on the sidewalk, and started to pick up my first set of four when the heavy door behind us flung against the brick wall.
“Connie,” my sister blurted, in her I’ve-got-a-really-good-secret tone.
I turned, irritated at missing the scoop because of the interruption.
“What?” I quipped in my perennially sarcastic tone.
“Guess what Mr. Garnett just told us?”
By then, she had our attention. In the back of my mind, though, I was formulating an argument that I should get another turn when Lynda’s words changed my life forever.
“He told us President Kennedy was just shot.”
Her words, forever seared into my awareness, were unfathomable. The principal had told her class because he thought sixth graders were mature enough to handle the emotions. He was right that we fourth graders weren’t.
The only time I’d heard of an assassination was Abraham Lincoln, and I didn’t understand how anything that removed from our time could touch our lives. I struggled with a plethora emotions that accompanied the forbidden news. I wondered if Mom and Dad would be happy since they had voted for Nixon. I wondered how our lives would change. I wondered if we could get shot too. When I got home, those conflicts weren’t any clearer. Mom was crying, something I had rarely seen her do. Images became burned into my brain--Jackie with her stained, pink dress, the President being thrown forward as the bullet hit. Later, the funeral procession, John-John’s salute, and the eternal flame were all intensely poignant.
Over the years, other major national events have created indelible impressions. The Watergate hearings, the Gulf War, the Berlin Wall coming down, and the end of the Vietnam Conflict all kept me riveted to newscasts. However, none of those events match the intensity of September 11th.
After a year of reflection, we see how events that unfolded that morning have changed our lives forever. Air travel will never be the same; the Stock Market is reeling. Jobs have been lost; people are more fearful. At first, as a nation, we grew closer to God. En masse, sinners were saved; backsliders who hadn’t entered church doors for years renewed their relationship with a long-lost Friend. Even Christians who hadn’t been as close to God as they should found a new intensity--for a while.
Eventually, though, things went back to normal. Churches didn’t have crowds standing out the doors. People missed church and didn’t think it bad when a week slipped into months. Soon 9/11 was a memory relegated to a place of great emotions but not something to impact a relationship with God. Christians had again become lulled into complacency. But God doesn’t like noncommittal attitudes. He admonishes that “because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:16).
America, with all our wondrous accomplishments and possessions, has to put God first again. We have great wealth, but we must seek God to be a solvent nation, truly based on Him and His ways. When Solomon finished the temple, he sought the Lord for Israel’s well-being. God came to him in the night and said, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14). America has a lot of healing to do. But we are America, and the healing begins with a commitment to grow closer to God, and that starts with each of us. In our lives as in our nation we need to return to the godly principles upon which our nation was founded by our Christian forefathers. In Him is true healing for both our nation and our personal lives.
I had done my morning routine before work. I watched the Today show while I dressed, ate breakfast, packed my lunch, and then left for school. I hadn’t been there too long, when another teacher came across the hall. A tower was hit in New York, and now another plane had struck the second. The implication was clear--terrorism of that magnitude on our own soil. As we watched throughout the morning, the rest of the news came as a blur--a plane going into the Pentagon, a crash in a Pennsylvania field, the towers’ decimation, people scattering like rabbits from the danger of a predator. The day will forever be etched in my memory as a tragic, devastating part of American history. Though that day should teach us many things, the main one is to lean on and grow closer to Him.
“America, America, God shed His grace on Thee. And crowned thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea.” We are a blessed nation. Let us never forget the lessons we have learned from our past and know from Whom all our blessings come. Let us cling to Him as our fortress and uphold our nation and American brothers in vigilant prayer.
“Connie,” my sister blurted, in her I’ve-got-a-really-good-secret tone.
I turned, irritated at missing the scoop because of the interruption.
“What?” I quipped in my perennially sarcastic tone.
“Guess what Mr. Garnett just told us?”
By then, she had our attention. In the back of my mind, though, I was formulating an argument that I should get another turn when Lynda’s words changed my life forever.
“He told us President Kennedy was just shot.”
Her words, forever seared into my awareness, were unfathomable. The principal had told her class because he thought sixth graders were mature enough to handle the emotions. He was right that we fourth graders weren’t.
The only time I’d heard of an assassination was Abraham Lincoln, and I didn’t understand how anything that removed from our time could touch our lives. I struggled with a plethora emotions that accompanied the forbidden news. I wondered if Mom and Dad would be happy since they had voted for Nixon. I wondered how our lives would change. I wondered if we could get shot too. When I got home, those conflicts weren’t any clearer. Mom was crying, something I had rarely seen her do. Images became burned into my brain--Jackie with her stained, pink dress, the President being thrown forward as the bullet hit. Later, the funeral procession, John-John’s salute, and the eternal flame were all intensely poignant.
Over the years, other major national events have created indelible impressions. The Watergate hearings, the Gulf War, the Berlin Wall coming down, and the end of the Vietnam Conflict all kept me riveted to newscasts. However, none of those events match the intensity of September 11th.
After a year of reflection, we see how events that unfolded that morning have changed our lives forever. Air travel will never be the same; the Stock Market is reeling. Jobs have been lost; people are more fearful. At first, as a nation, we grew closer to God. En masse, sinners were saved; backsliders who hadn’t entered church doors for years renewed their relationship with a long-lost Friend. Even Christians who hadn’t been as close to God as they should found a new intensity--for a while.
Eventually, though, things went back to normal. Churches didn’t have crowds standing out the doors. People missed church and didn’t think it bad when a week slipped into months. Soon 9/11 was a memory relegated to a place of great emotions but not something to impact a relationship with God. Christians had again become lulled into complacency. But God doesn’t like noncommittal attitudes. He admonishes that “because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:16).
America, with all our wondrous accomplishments and possessions, has to put God first again. We have great wealth, but we must seek God to be a solvent nation, truly based on Him and His ways. When Solomon finished the temple, he sought the Lord for Israel’s well-being. God came to him in the night and said, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14). America has a lot of healing to do. But we are America, and the healing begins with a commitment to grow closer to God, and that starts with each of us. In our lives as in our nation we need to return to the godly principles upon which our nation was founded by our Christian forefathers. In Him is true healing for both our nation and our personal lives.
I had done my morning routine before work. I watched the Today show while I dressed, ate breakfast, packed my lunch, and then left for school. I hadn’t been there too long, when another teacher came across the hall. A tower was hit in New York, and now another plane had struck the second. The implication was clear--terrorism of that magnitude on our own soil. As we watched throughout the morning, the rest of the news came as a blur--a plane going into the Pentagon, a crash in a Pennsylvania field, the towers’ decimation, people scattering like rabbits from the danger of a predator. The day will forever be etched in my memory as a tragic, devastating part of American history. Though that day should teach us many things, the main one is to lean on and grow closer to Him.
“America, America, God shed His grace on Thee. And crowned thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea.” We are a blessed nation. Let us never forget the lessons we have learned from our past and know from Whom all our blessings come. Let us cling to Him as our fortress and uphold our nation and American brothers in vigilant prayer.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Our Cross by Wade Urban
Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Matt. 10:38-39: “And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Matt. 16:24-25: “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.”
Recently, as I was meditating on these scriptures, Holy Spirit apprehended my thoughts with a question: “What does taking up your cross and being crucified mean?” I have come to understand that when asked a question by Holy Spirit, He is not seeking information but desiring for me to move into a deeper revelation of His Word. This understanding is usually progressive as He leads through scripture revealing a deeper meaning of the “finished work of Jesus Christ.” The progressive nature of New Testament revelation can be seen in the different ministry models of the church. I believe four basic models for ministry exist:
1. Sin Model (Rom. 5:8-10; 1Jn. 1:9) can be defined as: “Admit it, quit it, and forget it!” This model relies on the believer embracing the cross and being freed from the power of sin through forgiveness by the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. Truth Model (Jn. 8:31-32, 36) is based on understanding God’s Word and the resultant behavioral changes that truth causes.
3. Experiential Model (Acts 2:38-39) is based upon experiencing the power of Holy Spirit (anointing) for oneself.
4. Miracle Model (Mk. 16:15-18; 1Cor. 12:4-11) progresses even further as Holy Spirit power flows to and through a believer in signs, wonders, and gifts of Holy Spirit causing kingdom manifestations.
Each of these ministry models is based on scriptural truth, yet a progression of revelation and understanding is required to move into each successive level. Every significant move of God through the centuries began with a revelation of truth from God’s word. Martin Luther saw that justification came by faith alone and from this revelation a new move of God began. Every successive move of God was built upon a revealed truth from God’s word empowered by Holy Spirit. Denominations were established as a result of past moves of God and fresh revelation He authored at that particular time. Many denominations set doctrinal boundaries on that specific revelation and refuse to move further even though Holy Spirit and His glory cloud have long since moved on revealing deeper levels of truth to others. Often, unnecessary divisions exist within the church because of these doctrinal differences caused by what each group has seen of the “finished work of Jesus Christ.” We are about to enter a divinely appointed time when great demonstrations of God’s glory through signs and wonders will be displayed which cannot be denied even by the most fervent denominational adherent.
God’s word is living and active, always deepening its impact in those diligently seeking Him. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). The “cross” Jesus mentioned has the same meaning as Paul’s declaration, “I am crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). What is our “cross”, and how are we “crucified”? The “cross” and “crucifixion” means dying to self, our own personal desires and motives. Our “cross” is not the event that causes death but the price we pay for our redemption and the power of redemption through Holy Spirit living through us. The power and purpose of the “cross” is forgiveness. Failure to understand our “cross” is a failure to understand forgiveness. Scriptural forgiveness is not the worldly view of “forgiving and forgetting!”
Some offenses cannot, nor should be forgotten. Boundaries may have to be established to prevent future abuse and offenses. Scriptural forgiveness recognizes that all sin carries a penalty that must be paid—death. Just as Jesus paid the ultimate price for sin, conquering death and the curse of the law, so we also are called to pay the penalty for offenses committed against us. This is forgiveness. It is our willingly choosing to pay the penalty without seeking revenge, taking up our cross and following His example. Paul wrote to the Philippians to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. This was certainly not by their own efforts to win justification but by forgiveness and Holy Spirit’s power working in them to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). Our “cross” is where we receive healing and also become an offering to those who wounded us. Our “cross” perfects love in our lives. When we are slapped on one cheek, we offer the other; when forced to go one mile, we journey two; when cursed, we bless; and when persecuted, we pray for our persecutor.
Our cross is often heavy to bear when our flesh cries out for justice and we really want revenge against those who hurt us. The truth is we can never be perfected in a world where no one wounds us! Without the cross and our being crucified to our flesh there can be no resurrection power released into our lives. Forgiveness is a requirement for our being members of this society of redeemers called the church! Understanding the reality and power of our “cross” brings a death to “self” and releases “resurrection power” enabling us to be conformed to the nature of Christ. Our life’s goal should be, “to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, we may attain to the resurrection of the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11). This means there may be times we feel abandoned, betrayed, weak and vulnerable just as Jesus experienced, yet He responded, “ Father forgive them” (Lk. 23:34).
Our cross presents an opportunity for intercessory ministry as well. As we intercede for others, we actually become “paracletes,” or one who comes along side and helps others to bear their cross. Gal. 6:2 explains, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Our cross may in reality include helping others fulfill Jesus’ command to take up our cross. In so doing, we will see notable miracles as well as supernatural healing of denominational breaches that have existed for decades. Just as Jesus’ ministry included the “cross” but did not end at the “cross,” so also our destiny includes our “cross” but does not end there either. Like Jesus, we are destined to receive resurrection power and ascension to His character, power, and glory! Amen.
Matt. 10:38-39: “And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Matt. 16:24-25: “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.”
Recently, as I was meditating on these scriptures, Holy Spirit apprehended my thoughts with a question: “What does taking up your cross and being crucified mean?” I have come to understand that when asked a question by Holy Spirit, He is not seeking information but desiring for me to move into a deeper revelation of His Word. This understanding is usually progressive as He leads through scripture revealing a deeper meaning of the “finished work of Jesus Christ.” The progressive nature of New Testament revelation can be seen in the different ministry models of the church. I believe four basic models for ministry exist:
1. Sin Model (Rom. 5:8-10; 1Jn. 1:9) can be defined as: “Admit it, quit it, and forget it!” This model relies on the believer embracing the cross and being freed from the power of sin through forgiveness by the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. Truth Model (Jn. 8:31-32, 36) is based on understanding God’s Word and the resultant behavioral changes that truth causes.
3. Experiential Model (Acts 2:38-39) is based upon experiencing the power of Holy Spirit (anointing) for oneself.
4. Miracle Model (Mk. 16:15-18; 1Cor. 12:4-11) progresses even further as Holy Spirit power flows to and through a believer in signs, wonders, and gifts of Holy Spirit causing kingdom manifestations.
Each of these ministry models is based on scriptural truth, yet a progression of revelation and understanding is required to move into each successive level. Every significant move of God through the centuries began with a revelation of truth from God’s word. Martin Luther saw that justification came by faith alone and from this revelation a new move of God began. Every successive move of God was built upon a revealed truth from God’s word empowered by Holy Spirit. Denominations were established as a result of past moves of God and fresh revelation He authored at that particular time. Many denominations set doctrinal boundaries on that specific revelation and refuse to move further even though Holy Spirit and His glory cloud have long since moved on revealing deeper levels of truth to others. Often, unnecessary divisions exist within the church because of these doctrinal differences caused by what each group has seen of the “finished work of Jesus Christ.” We are about to enter a divinely appointed time when great demonstrations of God’s glory through signs and wonders will be displayed which cannot be denied even by the most fervent denominational adherent.
God’s word is living and active, always deepening its impact in those diligently seeking Him. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). The “cross” Jesus mentioned has the same meaning as Paul’s declaration, “I am crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). What is our “cross”, and how are we “crucified”? The “cross” and “crucifixion” means dying to self, our own personal desires and motives. Our “cross” is not the event that causes death but the price we pay for our redemption and the power of redemption through Holy Spirit living through us. The power and purpose of the “cross” is forgiveness. Failure to understand our “cross” is a failure to understand forgiveness. Scriptural forgiveness is not the worldly view of “forgiving and forgetting!”
Some offenses cannot, nor should be forgotten. Boundaries may have to be established to prevent future abuse and offenses. Scriptural forgiveness recognizes that all sin carries a penalty that must be paid—death. Just as Jesus paid the ultimate price for sin, conquering death and the curse of the law, so we also are called to pay the penalty for offenses committed against us. This is forgiveness. It is our willingly choosing to pay the penalty without seeking revenge, taking up our cross and following His example. Paul wrote to the Philippians to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. This was certainly not by their own efforts to win justification but by forgiveness and Holy Spirit’s power working in them to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). Our “cross” is where we receive healing and also become an offering to those who wounded us. Our “cross” perfects love in our lives. When we are slapped on one cheek, we offer the other; when forced to go one mile, we journey two; when cursed, we bless; and when persecuted, we pray for our persecutor.
Our cross is often heavy to bear when our flesh cries out for justice and we really want revenge against those who hurt us. The truth is we can never be perfected in a world where no one wounds us! Without the cross and our being crucified to our flesh there can be no resurrection power released into our lives. Forgiveness is a requirement for our being members of this society of redeemers called the church! Understanding the reality and power of our “cross” brings a death to “self” and releases “resurrection power” enabling us to be conformed to the nature of Christ. Our life’s goal should be, “to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, we may attain to the resurrection of the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11). This means there may be times we feel abandoned, betrayed, weak and vulnerable just as Jesus experienced, yet He responded, “ Father forgive them” (Lk. 23:34).
Our cross presents an opportunity for intercessory ministry as well. As we intercede for others, we actually become “paracletes,” or one who comes along side and helps others to bear their cross. Gal. 6:2 explains, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Our cross may in reality include helping others fulfill Jesus’ command to take up our cross. In so doing, we will see notable miracles as well as supernatural healing of denominational breaches that have existed for decades. Just as Jesus’ ministry included the “cross” but did not end at the “cross,” so also our destiny includes our “cross” but does not end there either. Like Jesus, we are destined to receive resurrection power and ascension to His character, power, and glory! Amen.
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Ripple Effect by Connie Hunter-Urban
This week as I was walking to our garage, I noticed something that thrilled me—our backyard tomatoes were ripening. What caught my eye was the splash of bright red emanating from a bunch nestled in the midst of a thick growth of cherry tomato vines. I carefully picked the clump and took them inside for us to enjoy, just enough to whet our appetites for more. We reap what we sow, and that is true whether it is our carefully chosen tomato plants or our few haphazard potatoes that are the result of a carelessly thrown spud into a compost pile. When we sow something, we have to live with those results. However, we don’t always consider how our plantings may affect others.
Our choices come with consequences, but our lives aren’t inside a vacuum. Both minor and major choices usually impact someone else. When we choose to waste resources, everyone on the planet is affected. When we don’t paint our house, we change our neighbors’ property values. Not teaching our children respect for authority can affect teachers, classmates, policemen, future spouses, and a multitude of others. When we choose to drive drunk, we will not only impact our families if we lose our licenses but also anyone else we happen to encounter on the road. A selfish decision to pursue our own interests impacts our spouse’s, children’s, grandchildren’s, and friends’ well-beings. Each action comes with a reaction, and that is what we don’t consider with decisions. It’s like ripples that come into the water after a stone is thrown—they keep going on indefinitely.
Many biblical saints discovered that principle also. When Adam and Eve violated God’s commandment and ate the fruit, their family had to leave paradise and all of mankind came under a curse. David’s decision to have Uriah killed so he could have his wife created conflict in his family and a pronouncement “the sword [would] never depart from [his] house” (2 Sam. 12:10): brother raped sister, brother killed brother, son betrayed father. When Solomon chose to ignore God’s command and take heathen wives, his posterity lost their throne. The same principle of consequences is true for godly decisions. Mary obeyed God and birthed the Savior who affected the world for all of time. Paul’s conversion on the Road to Damascus provided us with most of the New Testament. Jesus’ decision to obey his Father’s will and go to the cross negated Adam and Eve’s consequences for mankind. Whether good or bad, our decisions impact not only us, but many more.
What we do for God also has consequences for others. Our job on earth is to be a servant, and Jesus modeled when he planted good deeds geared to helping all with whom he came in contact. Our lives should leave a mark on others in the same way. A former principal tells the story of a surly young man whom he determined to give a kind word each day. Never did the teen respond until he had been graduated for a couple of years and came to see this principal. He told him that throughout his young years, this man had provided the only words of kindness ever directed at him. His home life had been terrible; his quiet brooding had let him fade into the back of a classroom. Though he never demonstrated any reaction to the principal then, each morning he came to school just to have his daily fix of kindness. When we shop or work or drive or talk, are ripples we leave showing love and kindness or more confusion in an already-chaotic life? Are we a solution to another’s problem, or are we just another layer to add onto the despair in which he/she is drowning? Do we demonstrate His love to a world that was so important to the Father He asked His son to be their martyr? Does the wake we leave in life’s sea reflect the face of Jesus?
This month we lost a friend whose life’s ripples touched many others. Carol Neeley went home to be with God. When I think of her, I see one word—tenacity. She was a bulldog about following the Lord. I knew Carol as many others did—a lady who was in love with God, His word, and Holy Spirit’s depth. Her conversations were mostly about God and what He had done for and through her. She stayed in His word and in His presence as much as she could. Her words of knowledge and wisdom often sustained or bolstered me. Many times she would call and say she had been praying and God had given her a prophetic word for me. Her obedience and perception made me respect her throughout the years I have known her.
Her life touched many others also. She understood how what she did rippled into their lives and that she was placed on earth to be a servant to them: her mother, her siblings, her children, her friends, her Christian brothers and sisters, even strangers. She remained true to that call until the very end. Only a short time before she died, she called to tell me of something God had spoken to her. Her excitement overshadowed the illness ravaging her body; for she had long ago learned that in “whatever state [she was in], to be content” (Phil. 4:11). When she was still young, she had given herself to God and considered “the loss of all things…as rubbish” (Phil. 3:8) compared to everything she had gained in Him. She stepped as He led. She gave as He did. She will be missed, but her life’s worth remains in the ripples that still touch our lives. What a legacy for any of us to leave someday: that our actions continue to bless others even after we are at home with Jesus.
Our choices come with consequences, but our lives aren’t inside a vacuum. Both minor and major choices usually impact someone else. When we choose to waste resources, everyone on the planet is affected. When we don’t paint our house, we change our neighbors’ property values. Not teaching our children respect for authority can affect teachers, classmates, policemen, future spouses, and a multitude of others. When we choose to drive drunk, we will not only impact our families if we lose our licenses but also anyone else we happen to encounter on the road. A selfish decision to pursue our own interests impacts our spouse’s, children’s, grandchildren’s, and friends’ well-beings. Each action comes with a reaction, and that is what we don’t consider with decisions. It’s like ripples that come into the water after a stone is thrown—they keep going on indefinitely.
Many biblical saints discovered that principle also. When Adam and Eve violated God’s commandment and ate the fruit, their family had to leave paradise and all of mankind came under a curse. David’s decision to have Uriah killed so he could have his wife created conflict in his family and a pronouncement “the sword [would] never depart from [his] house” (2 Sam. 12:10): brother raped sister, brother killed brother, son betrayed father. When Solomon chose to ignore God’s command and take heathen wives, his posterity lost their throne. The same principle of consequences is true for godly decisions. Mary obeyed God and birthed the Savior who affected the world for all of time. Paul’s conversion on the Road to Damascus provided us with most of the New Testament. Jesus’ decision to obey his Father’s will and go to the cross negated Adam and Eve’s consequences for mankind. Whether good or bad, our decisions impact not only us, but many more.
What we do for God also has consequences for others. Our job on earth is to be a servant, and Jesus modeled when he planted good deeds geared to helping all with whom he came in contact. Our lives should leave a mark on others in the same way. A former principal tells the story of a surly young man whom he determined to give a kind word each day. Never did the teen respond until he had been graduated for a couple of years and came to see this principal. He told him that throughout his young years, this man had provided the only words of kindness ever directed at him. His home life had been terrible; his quiet brooding had let him fade into the back of a classroom. Though he never demonstrated any reaction to the principal then, each morning he came to school just to have his daily fix of kindness. When we shop or work or drive or talk, are ripples we leave showing love and kindness or more confusion in an already-chaotic life? Are we a solution to another’s problem, or are we just another layer to add onto the despair in which he/she is drowning? Do we demonstrate His love to a world that was so important to the Father He asked His son to be their martyr? Does the wake we leave in life’s sea reflect the face of Jesus?
This month we lost a friend whose life’s ripples touched many others. Carol Neeley went home to be with God. When I think of her, I see one word—tenacity. She was a bulldog about following the Lord. I knew Carol as many others did—a lady who was in love with God, His word, and Holy Spirit’s depth. Her conversations were mostly about God and what He had done for and through her. She stayed in His word and in His presence as much as she could. Her words of knowledge and wisdom often sustained or bolstered me. Many times she would call and say she had been praying and God had given her a prophetic word for me. Her obedience and perception made me respect her throughout the years I have known her.
Her life touched many others also. She understood how what she did rippled into their lives and that she was placed on earth to be a servant to them: her mother, her siblings, her children, her friends, her Christian brothers and sisters, even strangers. She remained true to that call until the very end. Only a short time before she died, she called to tell me of something God had spoken to her. Her excitement overshadowed the illness ravaging her body; for she had long ago learned that in “whatever state [she was in], to be content” (Phil. 4:11). When she was still young, she had given herself to God and considered “the loss of all things…as rubbish” (Phil. 3:8) compared to everything she had gained in Him. She stepped as He led. She gave as He did. She will be missed, but her life’s worth remains in the ripples that still touch our lives. What a legacy for any of us to leave someday: that our actions continue to bless others even after we are at home with Jesus.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Activate by Wade Urban
Activate, Elevate & Accelerate
2 Tim. 1:7-8, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Foundation Builder Ministry
Kingdom Principles & Definitions
• Dominion (Gen. 1:26)
• Seedtime & Harvest (Gen. 8:22) (Mt 13:3-23; Mk. 4: 3-29)
• Faith (Mk 11: 22-24); (2 Co. 4:13); (Rom. 10: 6-17)
• Righteousness (Rom. 3, 4 & 5)
• Purpose & the Will of God
1. 1 Jn 3:8; 1 Jn 4:17; Jn. 17:18; Jn 20: 21
2. Rom. 12: 1-2 & 6-8 (prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, leadership, mercy)
3. Gal. 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance); 1 Cor. 12: 4-11
4. Gal. 3: 13-14; Eph. 5: 17, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
SO WHAT? WHY?
ANSWER: “To teach believers to hear from God for themselves!”
ACTIVATE
1. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord
2. Ask for infilling of Holy Spirit – evidence
3. Continue process of sanctification – dying to self, renewing the mind with TRUTH!
4. Understanding the depth of God’s Word and love (Ps12:6, “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”) (Pv 9:1, “Wisdom hayth builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.”) (Eph.3: 16-21, “That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye , being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
ELEVATE: (Rev.4: 1, “After this I looked, and , behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
INTIMACY
• POSITIONS us with new PERSPECTIVE (Eph. 2: 1-8); It elevates us out of “See Level” where we have been living by natural sight into spiritual “VISION”
• PURGES us and brings FREEDOM from SIN (Rom 6); Law (Rom 7); FLESH and FEAR of DEATH (Rom. 8); We put off the “old man” and put on the New Man” created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4: 20-24)
• EMPOWERS us to His GREATER WORKS (Jn 14: 12); (2Cor. 1: 20) ; (2 Pet 1: 2-4)
ACCELERATION
• BREAKOUT & BREAKTHROUGH (Bondage to the Familiar) 2 Sam 5: 17-25 = Baal Perazim
• DELIVERANCE from other BONDAGES: Addictions, bitterness, religious spirit of anti-Christ
• Isa. 60: 22, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
2 Tim. 1:7-8, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Foundation Builder Ministry
Kingdom Principles & Definitions
• Dominion (Gen. 1:26)
• Seedtime & Harvest (Gen. 8:22) (Mt 13:3-23; Mk. 4: 3-29)
• Faith (Mk 11: 22-24); (2 Co. 4:13); (Rom. 10: 6-17)
• Righteousness (Rom. 3, 4 & 5)
• Purpose & the Will of God
1. 1 Jn 3:8; 1 Jn 4:17; Jn. 17:18; Jn 20: 21
2. Rom. 12: 1-2 & 6-8 (prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, leadership, mercy)
3. Gal. 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance); 1 Cor. 12: 4-11
4. Gal. 3: 13-14; Eph. 5: 17, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
SO WHAT? WHY?
ANSWER: “To teach believers to hear from God for themselves!”
ACTIVATE
1. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord
2. Ask for infilling of Holy Spirit – evidence
3. Continue process of sanctification – dying to self, renewing the mind with TRUTH!
4. Understanding the depth of God’s Word and love (Ps12:6, “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”) (Pv 9:1, “Wisdom hayth builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.”) (Eph.3: 16-21, “That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye , being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
ELEVATE: (Rev.4: 1, “After this I looked, and , behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
INTIMACY
• POSITIONS us with new PERSPECTIVE (Eph. 2: 1-8); It elevates us out of “See Level” where we have been living by natural sight into spiritual “VISION”
• PURGES us and brings FREEDOM from SIN (Rom 6); Law (Rom 7); FLESH and FEAR of DEATH (Rom. 8); We put off the “old man” and put on the New Man” created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4: 20-24)
• EMPOWERS us to His GREATER WORKS (Jn 14: 12); (2Cor. 1: 20) ; (2 Pet 1: 2-4)
ACCELERATION
• BREAKOUT & BREAKTHROUGH (Bondage to the Familiar) 2 Sam 5: 17-25 = Baal Perazim
• DELIVERANCE from other BONDAGES: Addictions, bitterness, religious spirit of anti-Christ
• Isa. 60: 22, “I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Afterthoughts
"I’m sick, Mom," Jill croaked as she jostled my arm to awaken me.
As I slid over for her to get in bed with me, I felt fever and knew she probably had another strep infection. I got her Tylenol; then she snuggled against me until the clock went off in the morning. As I slipped out of bed and turned off the alarm, she slid deeper beneath the down comforter and dozed into another fitful sleep. After I called work and wrote up lesson plans, I called the doctor to make an appointment. Then I woke Jennifer to get ready for school.
"It’s not fair," she blurted. "I’m the only one in this whole house who has to go to school. Last week when I felt sick you still made me go."
"You know the rules—throwing up and fever are the only reasons not to go. Jill’s had a really high fever during the night. We’re gonna see the doctor this morning."
"It’s not fair," she wailed as I left the room to signal the end of the discussion.
After I delivered Jennifer to her school and my lesson plans to my work, I went home and woke her up to get ready. I pulled back the covers and helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor. As she put pressure on her ankle, she cried out in pain.
"What’s wrong," I asked.
"It’s my ankle. Remember, I told you yesterday, Brandon dived on it during the 5th – 6th grade baseball game."
As I took it in my hand, I noticed some swelling. "You’ve probably sprained it again. We’ll have the doctor take a look at it."
We arrived at the office and waited a while to be shown into a room. The doctor we saw that morning was one I hadn’t seen too often, but I knew she was a Christian. She entered with a smile. She took a strep test; and as we waited for the results, we exchanged pleasantries and talked about the Lord while she examined Jill. When the nurse came back with news the test was positive, Dr. Borchers wrote a prescription, said her good-byes, and started out the door.
"Mom," Jill said, her voice exasperated. She motioned toward her ankle.
"Oh, yeah. She hurt her ankle. Could you check to make sure it’s not broken?"
"Sure." She examined it by moving it to determine areas of pain. "I don’t think it’s broken, but I’m going to send you to get x-rays anyway." As we went to the hospital, I was a little irritated having to take extra time for something I was sure would prove to be a sprain. However, in a while, Dr. Borchers called at the hospital.
"I guess God was looking out for Jill. She has a break. It’s by the growth plate; so if we hadn’t found it, it could have been really serious later on." As they put on her bright, neon-green cast, I felt guilty I had just dismissed something that could have been so potentially bad. I thought of how wonderfully God had again truly looked out for us.
Jill’s broken ankle is like the story of a Christian’s life. Though fraught with adversities, God is always looking out for us. However, unlike me with Jill’s ankle, God is constantly aware of our lives, and He never does things as an after-thought.
When Joseph went through his adversities—being sold into slavery, being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, being imprisoned, expecting to be remembered by the cook to Pharaoh—all those events might have made Joseph think God had forgotten him. However, adversities brought Joseph to a place where he was at the right place and time to save God’s people from being killed off during a famine. As he later told his brothers, "God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save you by a great deliverance." He knew it "was not [his brothers] that sent [him there], but God" (Gen. 45:7-8). From the moment the worlds were formed, God knew Joseph and the plan He had for his life. (Scrip)
Jesus’ birth was the same. Israel had been expecting God to deliver them from adversities for years, but God’s time had not come to fruition. He made all Israeli history add up to the momentous event in that stable 2,000 years ago. The lineage of David, from the tribe of Judah, from Bethlehem - - all of these prophecies were fulfilled by the birth of one baby whose parents God had carefully chosen for that time. Even when they escaped into Egypt, their fates were more than God’s after-thought. They were the exact time and place for God to accomplish His purpose and fulfill prophecy.
God carefully chooses our destinies. Even in such a horrific year as America has experienced, He knew those events would be part of His master-plan, and not as an after-thought, and " that all things work together for good to them that God, to them who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). We must rely on the knowledge that God is orchestrating all areas of our lives and leaves nothing to chance. Sometimes that’s hard for things we just see as negative and can’t see God’s hand in yet.
In our lives, we have many people who rely on our prayers. My daughters are in college and bombarded by temptations. We have a new grandson to join the five others. Wade’s daughter is still in high school, and his other daughters have family crises where they need us and our prayers. We know they will all have adversities, but God doesn’t haphazardly ordain their lives. He carefully plans their lives and sees their needs even before they do. "The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim. 2:19) and He is never late to work out His children’s lives.
As I slid over for her to get in bed with me, I felt fever and knew she probably had another strep infection. I got her Tylenol; then she snuggled against me until the clock went off in the morning. As I slipped out of bed and turned off the alarm, she slid deeper beneath the down comforter and dozed into another fitful sleep. After I called work and wrote up lesson plans, I called the doctor to make an appointment. Then I woke Jennifer to get ready for school.
"It’s not fair," she blurted. "I’m the only one in this whole house who has to go to school. Last week when I felt sick you still made me go."
"You know the rules—throwing up and fever are the only reasons not to go. Jill’s had a really high fever during the night. We’re gonna see the doctor this morning."
"It’s not fair," she wailed as I left the room to signal the end of the discussion.
After I delivered Jennifer to her school and my lesson plans to my work, I went home and woke her up to get ready. I pulled back the covers and helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor. As she put pressure on her ankle, she cried out in pain.
"What’s wrong," I asked.
"It’s my ankle. Remember, I told you yesterday, Brandon dived on it during the 5th – 6th grade baseball game."
As I took it in my hand, I noticed some swelling. "You’ve probably sprained it again. We’ll have the doctor take a look at it."
We arrived at the office and waited a while to be shown into a room. The doctor we saw that morning was one I hadn’t seen too often, but I knew she was a Christian. She entered with a smile. She took a strep test; and as we waited for the results, we exchanged pleasantries and talked about the Lord while she examined Jill. When the nurse came back with news the test was positive, Dr. Borchers wrote a prescription, said her good-byes, and started out the door.
"Mom," Jill said, her voice exasperated. She motioned toward her ankle.
"Oh, yeah. She hurt her ankle. Could you check to make sure it’s not broken?"
"Sure." She examined it by moving it to determine areas of pain. "I don’t think it’s broken, but I’m going to send you to get x-rays anyway." As we went to the hospital, I was a little irritated having to take extra time for something I was sure would prove to be a sprain. However, in a while, Dr. Borchers called at the hospital.
"I guess God was looking out for Jill. She has a break. It’s by the growth plate; so if we hadn’t found it, it could have been really serious later on." As they put on her bright, neon-green cast, I felt guilty I had just dismissed something that could have been so potentially bad. I thought of how wonderfully God had again truly looked out for us.
Jill’s broken ankle is like the story of a Christian’s life. Though fraught with adversities, God is always looking out for us. However, unlike me with Jill’s ankle, God is constantly aware of our lives, and He never does things as an after-thought.
When Joseph went through his adversities—being sold into slavery, being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, being imprisoned, expecting to be remembered by the cook to Pharaoh—all those events might have made Joseph think God had forgotten him. However, adversities brought Joseph to a place where he was at the right place and time to save God’s people from being killed off during a famine. As he later told his brothers, "God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save you by a great deliverance." He knew it "was not [his brothers] that sent [him there], but God" (Gen. 45:7-8). From the moment the worlds were formed, God knew Joseph and the plan He had for his life. (Scrip)
Jesus’ birth was the same. Israel had been expecting God to deliver them from adversities for years, but God’s time had not come to fruition. He made all Israeli history add up to the momentous event in that stable 2,000 years ago. The lineage of David, from the tribe of Judah, from Bethlehem - - all of these prophecies were fulfilled by the birth of one baby whose parents God had carefully chosen for that time. Even when they escaped into Egypt, their fates were more than God’s after-thought. They were the exact time and place for God to accomplish His purpose and fulfill prophecy.
God carefully chooses our destinies. Even in such a horrific year as America has experienced, He knew those events would be part of His master-plan, and not as an after-thought, and " that all things work together for good to them that God, to them who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). We must rely on the knowledge that God is orchestrating all areas of our lives and leaves nothing to chance. Sometimes that’s hard for things we just see as negative and can’t see God’s hand in yet.
In our lives, we have many people who rely on our prayers. My daughters are in college and bombarded by temptations. We have a new grandson to join the five others. Wade’s daughter is still in high school, and his other daughters have family crises where they need us and our prayers. We know they will all have adversities, but God doesn’t haphazardly ordain their lives. He carefully plans their lives and sees their needs even before they do. "The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim. 2:19) and He is never late to work out His children’s lives.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
EXPERIENCING GOD’S GLORY By Wade Urban
2 Cor. 3:17-18, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”; Col. 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
GLORY, for many believers, is a theological concept and not something to be experienced. In reality, God’s GLORY is to be evident and exuding from our lives continually. This article is not a complete treatise about GLORY. Here, I hope to spark your curiosity to study scriptures and discover the purpose of God’s GLORY, then experience His GLORY for yourself. I know those who experience God’s GLORY are changed forever as I have been. When you set your heart to pursue diligently His GLORY, you will very soon be overtaken by Him! Only when GLORY is experienced can it be truly understood.
The quest to discover the GLORY began in Exodus 20 as God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, laws regarding human relationships; Israel’s feasts; and pattern for the Wilderness Tabernacle, with specifications, patterns, and placement of each item within His dwelling place. Here, God reinstated His original intent to live in the midst of His creation, man, as He communed with Adam before the Fall. God entered into the midst of His people within the Tabernacle though sin still separated them from His manifest presence. The Tabernacle had three distinct sections with separation between each. The OUTER COURT contained the BRAZEN ALTAR upon which sacrifices to God were made. The BRAZEN ALTAR represented the CROSS upon which the LAMB of GOD was slain and His precious blood shed for remission of sin. The BRONZE LAVER was in front of the entrance to the HOLY PLACE. It was filled with water used in the ceremonial washing of priests prior to their entering the HOLY PLACE. It represents the washing of water by the word (Eph. 5:25-27) which begins the process of sanctifying believers by renewing their minds. The OUTER COURT experience is where most believers reside today. It represents SALVATION or having received JUSTIFICATION. The OUTER COURT was open to natural elements and received illumination from the sun meaning that here men are still subject to their natural, carnal senses.. The OUTER COURT experience begins at the BRAZEN ALTAR (CROSS) and continues with study of the word; yet, there is so much more to discover! The next enclosure within the tabernacle was the HOLY PLACE. Within the HOLY PLACE is a GOLDEN LAMPSTAND made of pure gold, filled with olive oil which was always kept burning to provide ILLUMINATION for the priest’s ministry. The GOLDEN LAMPSTAND represents HOLY SPIRIT providing illumination, revelation, and empowerment for ministry. Next, is a TABLE OF SHEWBREAD made of acacia wood covered with gold upon which were twelve loaves of bread. This TABLE represents JESUS CHRIST Who was all man (wood) and all God (gold). Twelve loaves represent God’s government which was placed upon His shoulder (Isa. 9:6). The TABLE of SHEWBREAD further represents Spirit-filled believers who understand the kingdom principle of dominion (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-20) and believers’ roles to govern the earth through HOLY SPIRIT’S power (2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Pet. 1:2-4). The final item of furniture set in front of the veil was the GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE which was lit by a coal from the BRAZEN ALTAR carried in a censor held by the priest, creating a fragrant aroma of smoke that filled the enclosure of the HOLY PLACE. This aromatic smoke represents WORSHIP. True WORSHIP only emanates from HOLY SPIRIT in lives of believers (Jn. 4:23-24).
WORSHIP prepares believers to enter the final enclosure—HOLY OF HOLIES. Beyond the veil of the HOLY PLACE (baptism of Holy Spirit and gift realm) is the DWELLING PLACE of GOD, the HOLY OF HOLIES. Here, within the veil stands the ARK OF THE COVENANT, upon which between the cherubim’s’ wings was the MERCY SEAT where GOD’S GLORY rested. Under the OLD COVENANT the High Priest only was permitted to enter the HOLY OF HOLIES and approach the MERCY SEAT once a year on the GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT. He would sprinkle blood of a sacrificial goat seven times both on the MERCY SEAT and in front of the ARK as atonement for the nation’s sins. Because of the final sacrifice and finished work of Jesus Christ, the veil of separation from God’s presence and His GLORY has been rent from top to bottom, providing entry for believers into His presence. In reality, when we received Holy Spirit, we became His dwelling place, temple (1Cor. 3:16), His HOLY OF HOLIES!
Now, within us, God’s Kingdom is established as present reality. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom—Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave; ascended to the Father’s right hand; then sent His Holy Spirit to live His life within believers. He empowers them to do His and greater works to establish God’s Kingdom on earth, displaying the GLORY of God and convincing the lost Jesus is Lord! It’s not difficult to see why Satan causes so much controversy about baptism of Holy Spirit. He attempts to keep believers out of the HOLY PLACE because if he can do that through religion, fear, or confusion, they will not find their way into the HOLY OF HOLIES and discover the GOD’S GLORY! Even spirit-filled believers who have entered into the HOLY PLACE (gift realm) have a tendency to be blinded into believing in false finish lines—that the baptism of HOLY SPIRIT and operating in the gifts is all we can experience this side of heaven. Even though the HOLY PLACE is wonderful, it is still a place of “duality” where flesh is alive and well. Here, we operate in partial light of the LAMPSTAND (Holy Spirit) and still have a tendency toward legalism, faith formulas, and selfish ambitions. Satan desires to keep the HOLY OF HOLIES veiled so GOD’S GLORY cannot be discovered and entered into by believers. Paul wrote, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the GLORY (emphasis) of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4). I believe this passage refers not only to the lost, but also to believers! The OUTER COURT is the initial step toward the GLORY. The HOLY PLACE prepares us with an anointing (fragrance, His favorite perfume/cologne) to come into His presence. It is an “along-the-way” experience. Beyond the veil, within the HOLY OF HOLIES is where we discover true completeness and perfection—GOD’S GLORY. He has beckoned us to “Come up hither” (Rev. 4:1); He has reserved a seat for us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). The truth is our destinies “in Christ” are contingent upon our entering into the GLORY realm.
From this elevated realm our perspective changes as we no longer view events from “see level,” believing everything we see with our natural eyes. Our new perspective provides “spiritual vision” which becomes reality as it is declared and decreed from the MERCY SEAT. In this place of REST, we finally discover all warfare is over. We no longer have the spiritual wrestling match in our minds and don’t have to yell at the devil. He was defeated two thousand years ago! This means we no longer see ourselves as points of need, have a victim mentality, or continually succumb to a spirit of self-pity because we have found our true dwelling place in Him. Now, we find in Him, our true place of intercession, and are able to release a continuous, flowing, persistent swelling river of His life into those for whom we intercede. We become the Bread of Life broken for others so His life can come forth!
Within the HOLY OF HOLIES on the MERCY SEAT, we are IN CHRIST, wrapped in His life, filled to overflowing with Him; His GLORY carries us deeper and deeper into Himself. We discover we have become His vessel, His voice, His hands extended. We no longer have our own opinions but simply respond to His bidding. Here we begin to experience GLORY and come to understand we are continually being transformed from one degree of glory to another. GLORY now is no longer an ethereal substance floating beyond our reach, but GLORY is simply and practically being “in Christ” and allowing Holy Spirit within us to convince men that Jesus is Lord. GLORY is God’s “convincing splendor.” Glory has the instant result of moving men’s hearts from their own troubles to the awesome abilities of a compassionate and caring Father. My prayer is that the prophecy of Habakkuk 2:14 becomes a reality all see, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” When the world sees His GLORY, it is because the GLORY of the Lord is emanating from us! For God’s GLORY will only fill the earth as it fills us! AMEN.
GLORY, for many believers, is a theological concept and not something to be experienced. In reality, God’s GLORY is to be evident and exuding from our lives continually. This article is not a complete treatise about GLORY. Here, I hope to spark your curiosity to study scriptures and discover the purpose of God’s GLORY, then experience His GLORY for yourself. I know those who experience God’s GLORY are changed forever as I have been. When you set your heart to pursue diligently His GLORY, you will very soon be overtaken by Him! Only when GLORY is experienced can it be truly understood.
The quest to discover the GLORY began in Exodus 20 as God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, laws regarding human relationships; Israel’s feasts; and pattern for the Wilderness Tabernacle, with specifications, patterns, and placement of each item within His dwelling place. Here, God reinstated His original intent to live in the midst of His creation, man, as He communed with Adam before the Fall. God entered into the midst of His people within the Tabernacle though sin still separated them from His manifest presence. The Tabernacle had three distinct sections with separation between each. The OUTER COURT contained the BRAZEN ALTAR upon which sacrifices to God were made. The BRAZEN ALTAR represented the CROSS upon which the LAMB of GOD was slain and His precious blood shed for remission of sin. The BRONZE LAVER was in front of the entrance to the HOLY PLACE. It was filled with water used in the ceremonial washing of priests prior to their entering the HOLY PLACE. It represents the washing of water by the word (Eph. 5:25-27) which begins the process of sanctifying believers by renewing their minds. The OUTER COURT experience is where most believers reside today. It represents SALVATION or having received JUSTIFICATION. The OUTER COURT was open to natural elements and received illumination from the sun meaning that here men are still subject to their natural, carnal senses.. The OUTER COURT experience begins at the BRAZEN ALTAR (CROSS) and continues with study of the word; yet, there is so much more to discover! The next enclosure within the tabernacle was the HOLY PLACE. Within the HOLY PLACE is a GOLDEN LAMPSTAND made of pure gold, filled with olive oil which was always kept burning to provide ILLUMINATION for the priest’s ministry. The GOLDEN LAMPSTAND represents HOLY SPIRIT providing illumination, revelation, and empowerment for ministry. Next, is a TABLE OF SHEWBREAD made of acacia wood covered with gold upon which were twelve loaves of bread. This TABLE represents JESUS CHRIST Who was all man (wood) and all God (gold). Twelve loaves represent God’s government which was placed upon His shoulder (Isa. 9:6). The TABLE of SHEWBREAD further represents Spirit-filled believers who understand the kingdom principle of dominion (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-20) and believers’ roles to govern the earth through HOLY SPIRIT’S power (2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Pet. 1:2-4). The final item of furniture set in front of the veil was the GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE which was lit by a coal from the BRAZEN ALTAR carried in a censor held by the priest, creating a fragrant aroma of smoke that filled the enclosure of the HOLY PLACE. This aromatic smoke represents WORSHIP. True WORSHIP only emanates from HOLY SPIRIT in lives of believers (Jn. 4:23-24).
WORSHIP prepares believers to enter the final enclosure—HOLY OF HOLIES. Beyond the veil of the HOLY PLACE (baptism of Holy Spirit and gift realm) is the DWELLING PLACE of GOD, the HOLY OF HOLIES. Here, within the veil stands the ARK OF THE COVENANT, upon which between the cherubim’s’ wings was the MERCY SEAT where GOD’S GLORY rested. Under the OLD COVENANT the High Priest only was permitted to enter the HOLY OF HOLIES and approach the MERCY SEAT once a year on the GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT. He would sprinkle blood of a sacrificial goat seven times both on the MERCY SEAT and in front of the ARK as atonement for the nation’s sins. Because of the final sacrifice and finished work of Jesus Christ, the veil of separation from God’s presence and His GLORY has been rent from top to bottom, providing entry for believers into His presence. In reality, when we received Holy Spirit, we became His dwelling place, temple (1Cor. 3:16), His HOLY OF HOLIES!
Now, within us, God’s Kingdom is established as present reality. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom—Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave; ascended to the Father’s right hand; then sent His Holy Spirit to live His life within believers. He empowers them to do His and greater works to establish God’s Kingdom on earth, displaying the GLORY of God and convincing the lost Jesus is Lord! It’s not difficult to see why Satan causes so much controversy about baptism of Holy Spirit. He attempts to keep believers out of the HOLY PLACE because if he can do that through religion, fear, or confusion, they will not find their way into the HOLY OF HOLIES and discover the GOD’S GLORY! Even spirit-filled believers who have entered into the HOLY PLACE (gift realm) have a tendency to be blinded into believing in false finish lines—that the baptism of HOLY SPIRIT and operating in the gifts is all we can experience this side of heaven. Even though the HOLY PLACE is wonderful, it is still a place of “duality” where flesh is alive and well. Here, we operate in partial light of the LAMPSTAND (Holy Spirit) and still have a tendency toward legalism, faith formulas, and selfish ambitions. Satan desires to keep the HOLY OF HOLIES veiled so GOD’S GLORY cannot be discovered and entered into by believers. Paul wrote, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the GLORY (emphasis) of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:3-4). I believe this passage refers not only to the lost, but also to believers! The OUTER COURT is the initial step toward the GLORY. The HOLY PLACE prepares us with an anointing (fragrance, His favorite perfume/cologne) to come into His presence. It is an “along-the-way” experience. Beyond the veil, within the HOLY OF HOLIES is where we discover true completeness and perfection—GOD’S GLORY. He has beckoned us to “Come up hither” (Rev. 4:1); He has reserved a seat for us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). The truth is our destinies “in Christ” are contingent upon our entering into the GLORY realm.
From this elevated realm our perspective changes as we no longer view events from “see level,” believing everything we see with our natural eyes. Our new perspective provides “spiritual vision” which becomes reality as it is declared and decreed from the MERCY SEAT. In this place of REST, we finally discover all warfare is over. We no longer have the spiritual wrestling match in our minds and don’t have to yell at the devil. He was defeated two thousand years ago! This means we no longer see ourselves as points of need, have a victim mentality, or continually succumb to a spirit of self-pity because we have found our true dwelling place in Him. Now, we find in Him, our true place of intercession, and are able to release a continuous, flowing, persistent swelling river of His life into those for whom we intercede. We become the Bread of Life broken for others so His life can come forth!
Within the HOLY OF HOLIES on the MERCY SEAT, we are IN CHRIST, wrapped in His life, filled to overflowing with Him; His GLORY carries us deeper and deeper into Himself. We discover we have become His vessel, His voice, His hands extended. We no longer have our own opinions but simply respond to His bidding. Here we begin to experience GLORY and come to understand we are continually being transformed from one degree of glory to another. GLORY now is no longer an ethereal substance floating beyond our reach, but GLORY is simply and practically being “in Christ” and allowing Holy Spirit within us to convince men that Jesus is Lord. GLORY is God’s “convincing splendor.” Glory has the instant result of moving men’s hearts from their own troubles to the awesome abilities of a compassionate and caring Father. My prayer is that the prophecy of Habakkuk 2:14 becomes a reality all see, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” When the world sees His GLORY, it is because the GLORY of the Lord is emanating from us! For God’s GLORY will only fill the earth as it fills us! AMEN.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
For the Love of the Nazarene by Connie Hunter-Urban
For the first twenty three years of my life, I lived in our family home, a renovated schoolhouse on the outskirts of Oxford, Ohio. We had a large yard filled with a garden, fruit trees, rasberry bushes, asparagus clumps, strawberry patch, and grape arbor, all of which represented many a summer morning of hearing "Get a little rise and shine" to work the produce. On two sides of our yard were neighbors' woods, complete with creek, grape vines, Indian relics, and plenty of places to explore. We would stay there all day, venturing home only when Mom yelled for us to come and eat. We played spring, summer, and autumn, but winter was a different stor. Snow days were easy, for a hill beside our house allowed sleds to get up plenty of speed; but other times, we kept ourselves entertained any way we could.
It was on such a night that a significant event occurred in my life. There were probably four Hunter kids at the time - halfway to the ultimate number of eight in a span of twenty years. My older sisters had brought the tricycle into the house. Suzy, the oldest, began to ride around and around the house as fast as she could maneuver. Ater that became tiring, Lynda began to stand on the back and hold onto Suzy's shoulders during the ride. One of them then had an idea to include little Connie in the fun. They found a child's wicker chair and tied a rope from the back of the trike to the leg of the chair where I would sit to make the trip around our house.
Suzy clenched her tongue between her teeth and bent slightly forward to give her chubby legs more momentum to launch on the slick linoleum and carry her heavy load of three. The trike spum to a start then gained speed as we rounded the doorway from the living room and into the dining room. It was a straight shot to the kitchen, and she made the sharp turn into the hall with precision. That's where the problem occurred. In the hall was a large register. The first couple of times around the house, the leg of the chair stuck on that register and nearly flipped. Being only tow or three at the time, I didn't think about the disastrous potential, so we continued. The third time got us, though. There in the hall, the leg of that chair stuck and didn't give. I did, however. As the chair tumbled forward, so did I.
Even though I was very young, I still remember that night vividly. Now, all these years later, I don't recall the pain even though I lost a front tooth and have had that reminder the rest of my life with the crooked one that eventually grew in. My main memory wasn't event the grid work that was left on my face fir quite a while as a result of my face-first tumble onto the hot register. What I remember clearly about that night is my mother's reaction. As I picked myself up from the register and burst through the living room door, Mom was sitting on the corner of the couch in front of the picture window. She was in her own world because she was devouring the Bible in her daily devotions. I was two or three steps into the room, literally screaming bloody murder, before she roused from her reverie. Not all the commotion of our tricycle game nor the chaos that ensued from the accident had taken her away from the secret place she knew how to enter despite what was going on around her. I saw this single-mindedness for the Lord many other times in subsequent years.
My mother, both my mom and my friend, passed away in March. She had many things I admire about her. Besides being a mom, she had been a wife, a minister, a pastor, a teacher, a youth leader, and an artist specializing in Southwestern landscapes. She was a college student for a semester in 1947 when she was eighteen. Then, when my dad died forty years later, she finished her degree. She was both persistent and stubborn ( a trait she generously shared with us) and had a mannerism where she set her jaw when there was no way we were changing her mind. She was godly, quite, kind, loving, hard-working, frugal, and considerate. However, none of her wonderful traits were as admirable as her intimacy she fostered with the Lord. One of her favorite songs, and the last I ever heard her sing, was "I Fell in Love with the Nazarene." That song typified who she was because she came into Christianity when God healed her dying sister. That made Mom want to know that Nazarene who loved her so much He would heal her beloved sister despite the fact that she and her family were basically heathens. As she saw His unconditional love, she grew more and more in love with Him, too.
My mother reminds me of David. His love for God got him through many of life's adversities. Mom also had events that could have turned her away from the Nazarene, ber her love for him held her fast and sure. David sought God before he went to battle and waited until God told him to move. My mother knew the art of seeking God's will, too. She would say, "I need to get the mind of the Lord," or "I know God will do it if we can just get the m.o." The method of operation God chose to use was often revealed to her because she knew how to hear His voice. David knew God intimately; and because of that, his strength came from realizing each trying situation could not stand because adversity was as an "uncircumcised Phillistine, [which was] defy[ing] the armies of the living God" (I Sam. 17:26) when trouble tried to overwhelm him. Because he loved and spent time with God, he was able to slay a lion, a bear, and a giant.
My mother's time with God taught her reliance on Him, too. She slew many lions, bears, and giants because she had faith in Him "whom [she had] believed, and [was] persuaded that he [was] able to keep that which [she had] committed until him" (I Tim. 1:12). Therefore, when my bother cut off his finger in the door, she put it back on, anointed it, then applied a Band-aid. It healed without a scar. When I broke my arm, she put it in a sling; I was using it that same day. When I had smallpox, she declared me healed; and I was. When my sister had heart problems, Mom sought God until she was perfectly healthy. When people came to seek prayer, she was able to touch the Lord for them. When she dreamed, it was right on. When she prayed, everyone knew something would happen. Because of her time with Him, she knew Him intimately and knew she was part of God's army no Philistine could touch.
In Bible times, during meals people reclined on cushions on the floor around a table. As they lounged there, they would put their heads upon the chest of the person beside them. From that position, they could feel the heartbeat, could hear the voice even if it were a whisper, or would have to move when the other person did. My mother had her head on Jesus' breast for nearly sixty years. She listed to him with adoration; moved when he did; and even when he whispered, she knew the master's voice and obeyed. Right now, she probably still is lying on the Nazarene's bosom, learning more of him each day for all eternity.
Today, I look around and see the things she loved. Her painting refelect her intense personality, love for her family, and life's experiences. Her beloved house sits empty, awaiting another family to cherish it as much as she did. Her lilac and forsythia are cascading blooms, surrounded by a melange of spring flowers, whispering their beauty by their fragrance filling her backyard. As we go through her possessions, my heart is sad, yet happy. She cherished the things she left us children, but that's not the legacy that matters most. If she could, she would have left us the world, and she did. The best inheritance one can leave her children is an intimate knowledge of the Lord. Her rich, eighty years here with those who loved her weren't long enough for her to love her Nazarene. Now, though, she has forever.
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