This morning before getting out of bed
I had a mountaintop experience. I saw a light that shined so bright it broke the darkness in half. It was the transfiguration of Jesus! “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” Then he separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:1-5 “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:1-5 This morning, my heart completely changed, it became even more awe-struck! It’s amazing how abundantly the Word of God can increase our faith! You see, I read Matthew 16 and saw, this time, with spiritual eyes, the transfiguration of Jesus - and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Aside from the Boardwalk Vision He gave me in 2016, it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. And both visions included Jesus You see, My eyes were cleansed. I felt a heavy film slide right off of them. The haze - it dissipated, and I was given clear vision. Come - let me show you what I saw. Close your eyes and get ready to reopen them. Take a deep breath and prepare your heart to receive Him. When you are ready to walk with me, Open your spiritual eyes so that you can see! Are your ready? On the count of three - 1, 2…3 “Six days passed since Jesus” told his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem to be captured and killed so that he could rise again. And then, “Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone.” “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.” “Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.” Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials - one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” “But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” “The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.” “Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” “And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.” As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Then his disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?” Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” “Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.” Matthew 17:1-13 I have so much to share about this illumination. I saw and heard Elijah’s announcement, I encountered the transformation of tents. I came face to face with the Ancient One and I beheld the two end-time witnesses. How much more can a person ask for? What is better than the glory of the Lord? Oh…what a sweet pleasure! The night broke, and Holy Spirit gave me great illumination into God’s Word. I can’t even speak. I just need to fall on my face and bask in the presence of the Son. I invite you to come before His throne and share in His glorification.
0 Comments
From the day that Jesus asked his disciples who they thought that he was, and Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus began to show His disciples that He MUST go to Jerusalem. Matthew 16:13-16 Jesus explained that he would suffer a great many things at the hands of the scribes, elders and the chief priests - this has to be the “terrible baptism of suffering” He talked about in Luke Chapter 12 - to be condemned by the nation that His father set apart! Luke 12:50 Jesus told them he was going to be killed, but would raise again, on the third day - just as he had promised when the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and asked for a sign from heaven to prove who He was - and Jesus responded “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 16:4 While Peter was the disciple who had connected the dots and identified right away that Jesus was the Son of the living God, he was still the stubborn man who had a rock head! Soon after Jesus told his disciples that he would be killed, Peter stepped in and rebuked what he said! “Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Matthew 16:22 But Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:21-23 You see, Peter was so intent on saving Jesus’s life, that he did not understand, through His death, Jesus came to save the life of men. “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words - I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” Matthew 26:28-29 We have to discern by listening and paying attention to what the Word of God says. We must not take the Father’s Word in vain by only listening to half of what He says. Jesus had told the unbelievers, “the religious leaders” in front of His disciples, which includes Peter, that Jonah the prophet was the sign he would give them from Heaven. If they had been listening with pure and faithful hearts, they would have known that Jonah went into the whale, and three days later came out. They would have understood that Jonah was sent on a mission by God, to save an evil, adulterous generation from destruction and eternal death. And yet, Peter thought that he knew best when he rebuked the words of death that came out of Jesus’s mouth. He did not realize he was acting in opposition. I’m sure Peter thought, like most of us do today, “don’t speak death over your life because Satan can hear what you say.” This is the same response in the days of old, when the prophets spoke words of death that were truly from God himself! The leaders didn’t want to hear about the destruction coming their way. They preferred to focus on living for the NOW, and seizing the day! It’s crazy to think how many of us today, want to live and respond in the same way. Thank God, Jesus knew what He had to do, and did not let anyone stop him from fulfilling the Will of God! I mean...He is the Word of God, is He not? Sometimes we have to stop trying to step in and save the day. Sometimes we just have to get out of God’s way, and trust that God is God and He is doing things His own Way! To be a student of Jesus and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit under the authority of the Father in Heaven requires us to tear off the flesh - and that, my friend, can be quite hard! What do you do when everything in you goes against God? How do you respond when He says “No!” but you want to do it anyway? Do not be angry! Do not lust! Forgive others even when they have broken your heart! Swallow your pride! Turn the other check. Do not worry about anything. Stop looking at the sin of another person and start paying attention to the log in your own eye! In verse 24 of Matthew 16, after telling his disciples that he must die, and cursing out Peter and casting him aside, Jesus said, “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.” So you may be wondering, like I once did, “What in the world is Jesus talking about? “What does Jesus mean by “let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me?” Well, let me direct you to verses 16-26 in Galatians 5, where Paul talks to the people of Galatia about walking in the Spirit and tearing off the flesh. He said to them, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” You see, the flesh desires what it wants! The flesh desires the things that are in opposition to God. The flesh wants its own way and does not want to give in. The flesh desires to be like God - it wants to be superior over both God and men. The flesh does not like to be tested. The flesh does not want God to see the intent of it’s heart. The flesh prefers to hide behind deceit and pride, and shame and doubt. And the flesh prefers to point and blame instead of giving an account. The flesh looks a lot like the SELF. Self Gratification, Self Love Self Hatred, Self Concept The flesh is the SELF - a human being who is the object of its own reflective consciousness, instead of reflecting the image of Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himSELF and take up “his” cross, and follow Me.” I ask you, What do you think Jesus means? What cross is He talking about? Perhaps we all have a cross to bear? I leave you with this - “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, or envying one another.” Galatians 5:24-26 So, the other day I wrote a poem
called Peter the Rock Head, LOL! Laugh Out Loud! It was about Simon Peter being so thickheaded - that he struggled to shake off his cultural fixation. Now this morning, I got to see another side of Peter, and learned just why he is referred to as “Peter, The Rock.” The scripture says, “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” Matthew 16:13-20 From this passage you can see so many spiritual things! Peter do not earn his nickname from denying Jesus times, or from struggling with cultural identification. He received his name and his position, both on earth and in Heaven, based on his confession that Jesus is Lord. Peter did not have to confess his sin to any human priest to gain God’s love and acceptance. Instead, He had to respond to Jesus’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter did not know this information on his own, rather it was revealed to him from Father God. The act of confession starts with acknowledging Jesus as your Lord, not the other way around - by acknowledging your sin first. The truth is without Christ you don't even know how sinful you are. Peter is referred to as an actual rock that the Lord will build his actual church on. This is the opposite of building a church on sand upon which when the wind comes and is able to blow that church down. Jesus is the high priest who oversees His Own Church. He made this very clear when He used a possessive pronoun - “on this rock I will build MY church.” and it is comforting to know that “Hell shall not prevail against it.” It is not like us to think that Hell did not win, especially when Simon Peter was crucified upside down. In fact, most of the disciples experienced gruesome, inhumane deaths. The truth is our reward is in Heaven, not upon this earth. Since Peter is building Jesus’s church, he will receive “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Perhaps Peter is like a concrete mason, who knows how to mix water and earth to make living stones. I hear, it’s very hard work! Peter’s work on the earth, is directly related to what happens in Heaven. “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” At the time, prior to Jesus’s death, “He commanded His disciples not to tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” But, since the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus our Christ, we have been commanded to tell everyone about Him. Last year, in 2020,
the Lord showed me Luke 12 as the scripture for this time. It was overwhelming! Without foreknowledge, the Holy Spirit directed me to Luke 12:4-59, and illuminated my mind. Today, while reading Matthew 16, He reminded me of the passage again, This is the light that He continues to shed. In Luke 12, Jesus said, “I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished.” “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against - or two in favor and three against. Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” “Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times. “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right?” Luke 12:49-57 Jesus was talking about their lack of having a spiritual barometer - their lack of knowledge and understanding regarding what God has said, and acknowledgement of Jesus the Christ. Then, in Matthew 16, I saw it again. The scripture says, “One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.” Matthew 16:1-4 You see, every day before getting out of bed. I break my fast and have a gourmet, spirit-filled breakfast with the Holy Spirit. I grab my Bible, journal and pen, or I use the Bible and Notes app on my phone, and begin eating from the Word of the Lord. It’s always filling and brings me great satisfaction - even when the words are hard. You see, God in the flesh was standing right in front of the the religious leaders - and yet they could not see Him. They did not have revelation. They knew the written Word of God like the back of their hand, and yet, they did not understand it. They didn’t see what was predicted by the Old Testament Prophets. If they had, they would have seen the Passover Lamb, the Suffering Servant, the Faithful Witness, the Righteous Branch. They would have acknowledged the High Priest, the Righteous King and the Almighty Prophet. They would have recognized Jesus as Lord and they would have heard the Voice of God call Jesus His beloved Son, when He was being baptized by his cousin, John. They would have noticed the changes and transformations that were taking place in people’s lives all around them. They would have known He was healing people and casting out demons - all in the Name of Almighty God. But they didn’t. They could not see it because Jesus did not match their expectations! Jesus was NOT who the religious leaders predicted. He was not the kind of king they wanted. He was not domineering and wealthy, nor pompous and self-centered. Rather He was about love and compassion, and the reconciliation of all people. Somewhere along the line, humans changed the rules. Many people abandon God and His Words, long before He leaves us alone and stops knocking at our door. If you don’t believe that God will turn away from you, then go and read Romans Chapter 1. It’s all there! So now, let me ask you a question. Do you believe that Jesus came to divide men into those going to Heaven and those going to Hell? Do you believe that He had to suffer a terrible baptism by blood just so that He could save you from complete doom? Do you understand that God does not want anyone to perish, but all to return to Him in repentance? Do you know there is a permanent separation between Heaven and Hell? If you don’t, then let me spell it out - Jesus said, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.” Luke 12:4-5 Isn't it crazy how humans have twisted the truth! So many Christians today believe that since God is good, everyone goes to Heaven. But that is NOT what Jesus said! Don’t we get it? Our own religious leaders, and so called “Christians” have hearts bent on evil intent because like the Pharisees- they focus on the self, rather than what the Word of God says. Can you imagine being so focused on your own truth, that you spit in the face of God? Can you imagine how that makes the Father feel? To know that He sacrificed His beloved Son to redeem you, and you say that his blood was never needed! Well, that is exactly what happens when people try to be God - just like Eve and Adam. Let me skip ahead to Luke Chapter 16 to provide some scriptural evidence for this poetic sermon. Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.” “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.” “The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.” “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames. But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.” Luke 16:19-31 You see, God is so good that He put His Word into the mouths of many humans! He created prophets to speak and write about His past, present and future time events. This way people would have a way to pay attention to the changing patterns of the wind. The truth is every believer who has the Holy Spirit living inside of them, has the ability to do this. But, many don’t. The question I pose to you is “why not?” Well, that’s a deep subject! Perhaps we should take a deep dive into the heart. After visiting Tyre and Sidon,
near the Sea of the Mediterranean, Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee. He must have been exhausted because He climbed a hill and sat down. “A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.” The crowd was amazed! The mute talked, the lame walked, the crippled straightened up, and the blind could see again. And they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” This is the location in the story where I need to add my interjection. Jesus just returned from a long excursion from a pagan nation where he had to cast out a demon of a Gentile woman. He climbed a hill and sat down, probably totally exhausted. And crowds came to him, bringing the people they love so that he could heal them. He continued to give, and laid hands on them. The outpouring of his love never stopped! Then he thought of their hunger needs and asked his disciples to feed them. His compassion for others has to be commended! Not once did he think of himself. His ability to keep on giving is a never-ending outpouring of his love. The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” This story reminds me of Elijah when he was hungry, and the Lord told him to go to the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon (that was pagan) where he would meet a widow who would feed him. "But when he got there, feeling totally exhausted, she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” The woman did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:8-16 Now let me return to Jesus. Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.” So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.” Matthew 15:29-39 Not once did Jesus stop when his ministry started, even when he was exhausted. He was always pouring out healing and compassion - which reminds me, once again, of Elijah, the widow and her son. “Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!” Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.” 1 Kings 17:8-24 You see, GIVING out of compassion is an outpouring of God’s love, and healing and restoration is the natural expression of it. I pray to God that this poem is a blessing to someone. This morning I woke up
with a heaviness on my heart. Who knows? Maybe I’m just tired. I grabbed my phone and began to read Matthew 15, verses 21-28, and guess what - the heaviness dissipated. The Lord showed me the most glorious thing! Come. Take a sniff. I think you will be able to smell it! “Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon.” Both cities were pagan. Both cities worshipped Baal - and both cities were known for their wickedness and witchcraft. This is even the region where Jezebel came from. And yet, so many beautiful things extended from them. It's amazing how God will take what was meant for evil and turn it into good. This is the region where the cedar trees came from, and the skilled stonemasons and carpenters who built the Temple of God. “A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.” Can you believe it? From the mouth of the Sea of the Mediterranean, came a Gentile woman seeking the help of Jesus. “Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word.” He did not answer. “His disciples said, “Tell her to go away,” “She is bothering us with all her begging.” They had no compassion. Why not? Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep - the people of Israel.” If this is true then why did Jesus go to the cities of Tyre and Sidon? Perhaps His Father had another plan in mind? But the woman pressed in on Him. “she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!” And Jesus said, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” This reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 7 - about casting judgement. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6 The woman did not argue. Instead she moved forward with effective prayer. “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” Wow! How did she know? The Gentile woman knew what her natural rights were. And this, my friend, is the moment that pollination happened! Jesus produced pollen from the Fruit of the Spirit and His very breath carried life into the Gentile women. “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.” Matthew 15:21-28 FAITH It’s God’s most prized tree in the Garden of Eden. The Gentile woman and her daughter were impregnated by the Word of God. The curse was broken and the blessing began. You gotta love Simon Peter -
Jesus’s disciple who seemed to be a Rock head! LOL! Laugh out loud! There’s always one - among family and and friends who has to “figure it out on their own.” And that is what Peter did, with the help of God! And once again, it took three times! This seems to be the number that follows Peter around! This morning, when re-reading Matthew 15, I laughed out loud when the Holy Spirit showed me that Peter is a rock head! It was Peter who asked Jesus for clarification when He said, “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Peter said, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.” Jesus asked him, “Don’t you understand yet?” And I might add… “I mean really Peter, You are such a Rock Head!” LOL! Laugh out loud! Jesus laid it all out, and gave the explanation, “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart - that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” Matthew 15:12-20 But obviously Peter didn’t get it! Because later on, after Jesus returned to Heaven, God had to put Peter into a trance to give him a vision to reinforce the explanation of what Jesus said. Of all the disciples, Peter is the one who seemed to be stuck in cultural expectations and traditions of the Old Testament that pointed to Jesus, especially the ones that focused on food. For some reason, Peter did not fully understand that the old had passed away, and the new had come! And because God is good, He gave him a double dose of reinforcement! You see, God became flesh, and his name was Jesus. It was He who first explained to Peter what He meant when he said, “it’s not what you put into your mouth, but rather by what comes out of it.” But that was not enough to do it! In the Book of Acts, God had to put Peter into a trance just so that He could prepare his heart to be the vessel He needed to do His work. The scripture says, “Peter went up on a flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open up, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. Peter was very perplexed. “What could the vision mean?” Just as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.” So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?” They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer (that means a Gentile, not a Jew) He is devout and a God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message. The next day Peter went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa. They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” Then Peter said, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me. Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.” Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all - the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name. Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts of the Apostles 10:9-48 By the way, there goes the doctrine of having to be water baptized before being able to have faith in Jesus and being baptized by the Holy Spirit. So there you have it! Our God knows how to get our attention, even when we are rock heads! LOL! Laugh out Loud! God has an amazing toolbox, and uses all kinds of methods and reinforcements to carry out His will. And sometimes, even with all that He does - we still don’t get it! But because God is faithful, even when we are not, He will continue to correct us! He will even send people to spread his message - A great cloud of witnesses who can testify to His greatness! And that is what God did with Peter, as He reinforced this message a third time! When Peter started to slip back into culture and tradition - and doubt the Word of God, God sent Paul. In Galatians Chapter 2, Paul approached Peter and confronted him on his faith. Paul said, “When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions? “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law - I stopped trying to meet all its requirements - so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” Galatians 2:11-21 Thank you God for your faithfulness! And forgive us for our stubbornness! Sometimes it takes more than one experience with you to teach us the truth! “For You alone are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Revelation 4:11 Have you ever been offended
by the words or actions of another person? It doesn’t feel good, does it? The truth often hurts. I once read a book, called the Bait of Satan, written by a Pastor, named John Bevere. The book is about one of Satan’s most deceptive traps to get believers out of the will of God. The book was quite good. I highly recommend it. It made me think about my own biases, and my reactions when someone says something I don’t like. I realized my being offended brings on a victim mentality. And that is not good. Reading this book also made me realize there’s a spirit behind offense and it’s not always the spirit we think! Often times, it’s the Holy Spirit - The Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit of Truth who is teaching us about God’s righteousness, and not our own self-centered beliefs. You may be thinking, “What does she mean?” Well, let me me explain. In Luke Chapter 17, verse 1 Jesus said, "It is impossible that no offenses should come.” And that is because the truth hurts which is why it needs to be done - in love. Being offended happens when we focus in on the speck in another person’s eye, instead of paying attention to the log in our own eye, that is blinding our vision. And none of this accomplishes the mission outlined in Hebrews 12. Scripture says, “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2 In Matthew 15, we see Jesus calling the religious leaders and Pharisees “Hypocrites!” He uses this “offensive name” over and over again, as outlined in the gospels! It’s God’s common reaction to mankind, as outlined by the prophets of old! So now, you understand why Jesus said there’s no chance in hell that mankind won’t ever get offended? It’s because the Spirit of Truth is going to correct us, or at least it should. And this is also outlined in Hebrews 12. I dare you to look! Now that does not mean, we as people, should go around saying mean things to hurt another person. That’s just another form of sin! Passing judgment without discernment is not good! In fact, it’s just a heart of evil intent! Instead, followers of Christ are called to speak the TRUTH IN LOVE. And all that means is that we must share the Word of God, without changing it, with compassion, to our fellow man. Did you know it's only God’s Word that divides the intentions of the heart! This is told in Hebrews 4:12. After Jesus called the religious leaders a bunch of hypocrites, “His disciples came to him and said, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” I just love how Jesus responded, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch (or the consuming fire).” Jesus didn’t worry about the religious leaders reactions, or what anyone else thought of him. He just said the truth. And since God is the definition of love, it was sent with love. Jesus knows that those who are not planted into the Master’s garden will be cut off, permanently deleted from experiencing eternal life with him. He directed the disciples to ignore them, and their foolishness. He said they are just blind men leading the blind. And the end result is each of them falling into a ditch - into utter darkness. We can assume a spiritually awake person will have a different ending because their eyes are wide-open. Thank God! That is good! There is nothing better than eternal life with Him. So, here is what I have learned. Speak the truth in love which means share the Word of God, in love, with compassion. Share God's Word despite what others may think. Those who are in Christ will hear the Spirit of Truth and not hold onto offense because they are being corrected and transformed. They will learn to release the bitterness and reposition their eyes to focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of their faith. But the person who chooses to harbor offense, has been captured by Satan’s snare. Be careful not to stay there! Learn to let it go! Because this is where the root of bitterness grows. In Matthew Chapter 15,
Jesus gives the religious leaders another rebuking for their hypocrisy. But, once again, it was the Pharisees who started it. The scripture says, “Some Pharisees and teachers of the religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” Matthew 15:1-2 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, “Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” Matthew 15:3-9 What I love most about this passage is that Jesus defines what honor is. Honor is not about following all kinds of lofty rules. Rather, honor is about doing what’s right, and having a weighted love and bearing a heavy burden for your parents. In this passage, Jesus makes clear that a person should not forsake taking care of their parents, so they can give their money just so they can give money to the church. Jesus calls the religious leaders hypocrites, which, by the way, seems to be his favorite name for them! Basically he says, “you are worried about what people put into their mouths, when you really should be concerned with how your words defile yourself.” Which brings me to the word “submit” as used in the scripture, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22-23 The English word “submit” comes from the Greek word “Hypotasso” - which is a military term meaning “to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader.” However, in non-military use, it means “to have a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.” Blue Letter Bible Doesn’t the non-militant use sound much like “honor”, as Jesus described in taking care of ones mother and father? This beautiful analysis also reminds me of what Jesus promised, in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Boy, humans sure know how to make a mess of things! It’s such a shame that we twist God’s truth, by creating a play on of words. Love, for instance, has become humanistic. We think that the evolution of man has created emotional intelligence. When it’s really the other way around. God is love. Love does not come from the center of us. God created humans to reflect His image - to be like trees in the garden of Eden, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So, you might say, why did Paul call a husband the head of the wife? Doesn’t that mean he should dominate her? Good God! No! Absolutely not! Don’t you remember what happened in the garden? “God created Adam (human) in his own image. In the image of God he created them (humans), male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Genesis 1:28 Humans, male and female, were commanded to govern the planet. Together, they were to take care of the earth and each other. “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” Genesis 2:15, 18, 21-22, 24 You see, I believe this is what Paul meant when he talked about the husband and wife relationship under the direction of the Holy Spirit in the letter to the Ephesians. There is no power or dominion of one over the other. In fact, there is nowhere in scripture that says any man or woman should abuse one another. Even the militant version only suggests order. Let’s look closer at how Paul summarizes this topic: “As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband (as she respects herself). Ephesians 5:31-33 You see, love and respect are elements of honor. They both represent how we should treat another person. And we must remember “We are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26-28 You see, it's only the life that exists without Christ that has a selfish mindset. This has to be where slavery comes from. Where one person makes up a reason to become an oppressor, and tries to intimidate and dominate and enslave another human. This type of behavior is absolutely demonic, and it does not belong in the Church at all. As followers of Christ, we have to be careful not to allow that type of mindset into the Body of Christ, especially from our leaders, because then we would just be sheep among wolves. |
Archives
April 2022
|