Romans 6:13-16 (KJV)
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Romans 13:8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
It's at times surprising to see many well-meaning Christian leaders teach the moral laws of God are no longer relevant to His people, or to the world.
The major confusion comes from not distinguishing between justification and sanctification. No one is made right with God other than through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul said, let anyone preaching another gospel be accursed. Only through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ do we have a right standing with God the Father through faith in His only begotten Son.
Where the assumption of their being no more moral law to follow comes in is where believers think the law given to Moses is no longer a requirement and guide to the way of life.
As Romans 3:31 says,
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
See how simple that is?
The law was never removed when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, it is established.
When it says he who loves his neighbor fulfills the law, it means those that live under the requirements of the law as revealed to Moses by God Almighty.
Loving your neighbor isn't some type of childish sentimentality. It's a rigorous discipline we engage in with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within all believers.
Love is action, and that action is to line up with the law of God.
If you don't believe that, what's to keep you from killing your neighbors, stealing from them, raping them, or whatever else comes to you mind to do?
You may respond: "Well, that's not love." How do you know if you seriously believe there is no longer any requirement to obey the laws of God.
The truth is the law of God as revealed to Moses is what real love is, as defined by God Himself. Do you think he changed the murder prohibition, or the adultery prohibition? Of course not. It would be nonsensical to come to that conclusion.
We aren't saved by the law, but we are to live in obedience to it. And we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish that.
Having said that, of course the ceremonial laws are no longer relevant, as the sacrifice of Jesus Christ rendered them null and void. He was the Lamb of God, and there is no longer any need to offer animal sacrifices, which couldn't bring the remission of sins even before Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
There were other parts of the law no longer in effect, including Jubilee. The point is, none of the moral laws revealed by God have been removed, and we are still expected to walk in obedience to them. We do not in order to be made right with God, but because of the new birth, now are able to do so by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
We need to look afresh at the law of God as a true revelation of how to love our neighbor, as that's how love is defined - doing no harm to our neighbor. The law teaches us and guides us into how to do that.
Also keep in mind the moral law was the very revelation of the character of God. To think that character has been thrown away and buried with Christ is the wrong way to look at it.
Legalism isn't the laws given by God, legalism is the additional laws of man added, and then given the same weight or authority as the actual law of God. That was the error of the Jewish leaders in Jesus' earthly days, and why He condemned them. They had added so many laws it made the people of Israel walk under a heavy burden God never intended them too.
Those who refuse to accept the fact the moral laws of God are the guide to the way we are to love our neighbors, simply make up their own laws to live by, or worse, live by the laws made up by those who are the enemies of Jesus Christ and His people.
To separate love from God's laws is to create a vacuum for humanism to step in and create laws in their own image and according to their own ideology.
If we don't seek to once again understand and obey God's laws, we'll see things continue to get worse as the spirit of the world and Satan infiltrate the Church, convincing it they have to endure their laws while ignoring the very laws of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
Or worse, maybe a few decades under Sharia law will convince Christians the law of God is in fact truly a revelation on how to love Him and one another.
Love isn't a feeling or emotion, love is words we may say or not say, or action we take toward our neighbor. It is defined by God's word, and only searching out His law and applying it to all areas of life are we able to truly love one another, and show the world the true character of Jesus Christ.
True love establishes His law. It doesn't operate outside of it in any way a person wishes.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
The term paralysis is an interesting one in that it refers to the loss of muscle function in the muscles of the body. It's instructive for our purpose of looking at whether or not Jesus is going to return soon, because the seemingly endless number of so-called end-time prophecies, one after another, end in failure as time proves them all wrong.
Eventually we must come to the place where we legitimately question those throwing out these false prognostications, drawing the inevitable conclusion they are creating them out of their own imaginations, from self-deception, or maybe there is a more nefarious reason for their predictions.
Having said that, the reason it's important to honestly look at these false prophecies (and they are false prophecies) is because the result of believing Jesus is going to return any moment and snatch His church away to heaven, brings about paralysis to the body of Christ. After all, if Jesus is returning soon, why should we try to improve ourselves or attempt to apply the word of God to the circumstances of life if we're not going to be here for very long? The answer of course is there is no reason, which is why these false prophecies can't be taken lightly. It's serious business to speak in the name of God, and when one does, they have to be questioned if their words fail to come to pass.
We have to stop making excuses for these people, even if we like them or other things they have to say. There's absolutely nothing wrong with challenging them concerning their failed prophecies, as the lives of many believers can be wasted for years if we make decisions based upon them.
If they're someone in authority, it should be done with respect, but it should be done. Allowing someone to go on in one failed prophecy after another, not only is irresponsible, but cruel to them in their deception, and cruel to those that believe what they assert.
One good thing about every failed prophecy in our lifetimes is each time they fail, there is a little more healthy skepticism over the next one, and finally, we start to ignore them.
Better than that, a growing number of us begin to think of ways we can obey the command of Jesus to pray for His kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, and then ask Him to show us how we can cooperate with that prayer.
We desperately need followers of Jesus Christ to take up their gifts and callings and serve them those with whom they have an influence in their lives. The church and the world need people with a Biblical worldview to show what God expects and how we can meet those expectations.
When you think through these prophecies, there's little reason for them to be made in the first place. After all, there is only going to be one time in history when Jesus will return: at the resurrection of the dead. Every other moment we're supposed to be living in obedience to Christ and working in His name.
By working I'm not necessarily talking about a job, but rather about doing everything we find to do as unto the Lord. It includes all legitimate aspects of life not associated with sinning against God and His holy word.
As I write there are even more books talking about blood moons and other silly things, which may point to conclusions being drawn that end up with people being paralyzed into watching and waiting, while their lives continue to pass on by them on this earth.
We're created to show forth the person and commands of Christ while we're on the earth, and sitting around waiting for the next prophecy, vision or revelation, where people seek escape or the next experiential high, will eventually lead to the time they're no longer doing anything unto Christ, and their lives come sadly to an end with little to show for it concerning Christ.
There's a reason all sorts of names are applied to God's people, including family, army, body, temple, among many others. These are names that mean this is something we are living now. It's not pointing only to some future eternal situation we enter into once our lives are over. We are to move towards being and doing these things now, as we prepare for eternity with Jesus Christ and the entire Godhead.
Over and over again I see believers taking note of the latest news story in order to fit in into some type of "prophetic" scheme. Each time it's proven to be wrong, but that doesn't deter many people because they've become convinced they're going to escape responsibility and difficult times. Much of this comes from not understanding we are now kings and priests unto our God, and we are to rule and reign in this life now, through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Of course that will extend into eternity, but it starts now.
Forget the endless prophecies and negative headlines you see. They have always been with us, and they will continue on. Focus instead on how you can serve Christ by serving others in some capacity now. That is how the kingdom of God manifests itself in this world.
Together as we grow in understanding and expertise, we'll learn how to do this better, as we pass on what we've learned to the next generation.
From generation to generation the kingdom of God will expand and grow in the earth until it's filled with His glory, as the Scriptures teach us. Now that's something worth committing to and living for.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Eventually we must come to the place where we legitimately question those throwing out these false prognostications, drawing the inevitable conclusion they are creating them out of their own imaginations, from self-deception, or maybe there is a more nefarious reason for their predictions.
Having said that, the reason it's important to honestly look at these false prophecies (and they are false prophecies) is because the result of believing Jesus is going to return any moment and snatch His church away to heaven, brings about paralysis to the body of Christ. After all, if Jesus is returning soon, why should we try to improve ourselves or attempt to apply the word of God to the circumstances of life if we're not going to be here for very long? The answer of course is there is no reason, which is why these false prophecies can't be taken lightly. It's serious business to speak in the name of God, and when one does, they have to be questioned if their words fail to come to pass.
We have to stop making excuses for these people, even if we like them or other things they have to say. There's absolutely nothing wrong with challenging them concerning their failed prophecies, as the lives of many believers can be wasted for years if we make decisions based upon them.
If they're someone in authority, it should be done with respect, but it should be done. Allowing someone to go on in one failed prophecy after another, not only is irresponsible, but cruel to them in their deception, and cruel to those that believe what they assert.
One good thing about every failed prophecy in our lifetimes is each time they fail, there is a little more healthy skepticism over the next one, and finally, we start to ignore them.
Better than that, a growing number of us begin to think of ways we can obey the command of Jesus to pray for His kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, and then ask Him to show us how we can cooperate with that prayer.
We desperately need followers of Jesus Christ to take up their gifts and callings and serve them those with whom they have an influence in their lives. The church and the world need people with a Biblical worldview to show what God expects and how we can meet those expectations.
When you think through these prophecies, there's little reason for them to be made in the first place. After all, there is only going to be one time in history when Jesus will return: at the resurrection of the dead. Every other moment we're supposed to be living in obedience to Christ and working in His name.
By working I'm not necessarily talking about a job, but rather about doing everything we find to do as unto the Lord. It includes all legitimate aspects of life not associated with sinning against God and His holy word.
As I write there are even more books talking about blood moons and other silly things, which may point to conclusions being drawn that end up with people being paralyzed into watching and waiting, while their lives continue to pass on by them on this earth.
We're created to show forth the person and commands of Christ while we're on the earth, and sitting around waiting for the next prophecy, vision or revelation, where people seek escape or the next experiential high, will eventually lead to the time they're no longer doing anything unto Christ, and their lives come sadly to an end with little to show for it concerning Christ.
There's a reason all sorts of names are applied to God's people, including family, army, body, temple, among many others. These are names that mean this is something we are living now. It's not pointing only to some future eternal situation we enter into once our lives are over. We are to move towards being and doing these things now, as we prepare for eternity with Jesus Christ and the entire Godhead.
Over and over again I see believers taking note of the latest news story in order to fit in into some type of "prophetic" scheme. Each time it's proven to be wrong, but that doesn't deter many people because they've become convinced they're going to escape responsibility and difficult times. Much of this comes from not understanding we are now kings and priests unto our God, and we are to rule and reign in this life now, through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Of course that will extend into eternity, but it starts now.
Forget the endless prophecies and negative headlines you see. They have always been with us, and they will continue on. Focus instead on how you can serve Christ by serving others in some capacity now. That is how the kingdom of God manifests itself in this world.
Together as we grow in understanding and expertise, we'll learn how to do this better, as we pass on what we've learned to the next generation.
From generation to generation the kingdom of God will expand and grow in the earth until it's filled with His glory, as the Scriptures teach us. Now that's something worth committing to and living for.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Thursday, September 10, 2015
In the Heart of God before creation
Many of us don't spend enough time learning and contemplating on the great truths about God and His purpose, as revealed in the Holy Bible. There are an enormous amount of revelations concerning who He is, what He wants, and the reason He created the earth.
Just that is enough to spend a lot of time thinking and meditating on, as it actually brings us back to before time and what was on the heart of God before He began the creative process, culminating in man.
Since we don't always grasp the magnitude of His creative thoughts and the reasoning behind them, we can also miss the practical applications in this world we live in, because in fact, since we are able to see this creation, already speaks a lot toward what it is God had in mind.
An illustration should help in that regard, which should help us capture a glimpse of His overall reason for making a visible world. That last part is especially important. He created heaven, which mankind isn't able to see, but also created a earth, which they can see. There's a reason he created a physical universe, and that's what we're going to explore.
Think of it this way. A man has an idea of the woman he thinks will be the ideal one to be his wife in this lifetime. There is also a woman that thinks the same thing. Neither of them know of one another, but they have the same desire to have a mate that is a great fit in all ways.
So each gets a piece of paper and writes down all the attributes they desire in a spouse which will help fill in the weaknesses they have, while also being representative of meeting their physical attraction desires as well.
Each writing down in detail their innermost thoughts, they start to construct their own idea of the ideal mate for them in Christ. After much labor and thought, the man and woman finally complete their list, and look at it with longing and anticipation.
After time, they so much fall in love with the idea of their perfect mate, they end up being satisfied with the description of that person, rather than the real person themselves.
That would be something of what the visible creation would be if God had stopped at that place. He had this extraordinary plan in place before He ever began creating, and if He would have stopped there -satisfied with His perfect idea, it would have been nothing more than an unfulfilled plan. It would have been an awesome plan, but one that would only include longing rather than fulfillment.
Imagine the Godhead holding a written description of the physical universe and earth, with the pinnacle of His creation - man, a wonderful thought that was all He ever needed to meet His purpose. What a disappointment that would be.
With that in mind, think of it in relationship to God's great purpose. He didn't stop with creating the invisible heaven. No. He continued on with the extraordinary universe which declared the grandeur of who He was. In other words, it was part of the very nature of God to be able to see in the way people see, this great universe He created. It is made of invisible stuff that had eternal elements as part of it.
If He had stopped like the two people above with the perfect description of what they were looking for, think of the lack it would have. We of course wouldn't know of it, because we would have been nothing more than a beautiful thought in the heart and mind of God. Thankfully that's not where He left it.
As fantastic as that is, it's only the beginning of understanding God's desire to visibly see His creation at work. He not only wanted that in general, but He put the responsibility of that upon man, where they were specifically commanded to subdue the earth. The purpose was not just to see something that had been visible represented in the visible world, His purpose was to see it in harmony with His nature and eternal purpose, which was to see man conformed to His image, ruling in reigning over the earth as His representatives. They were to rule with His shared authority and according to His nature, which means in obedience to His laws and commands. That's the harmony God is looking for. That's what moved God to create from before the foundation of the world.
Now with the help of the Holy Spirit, and in accordance to His revealed will in the Holy Scriptures, we can work together to implement His eternal plan, where that which is being done in heaven, over time, is what is being done on earth. That's the great prayer Jesus taught us to pray, that His will would be done and His kingdom come on earth in the same way it is being done in heaven.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Just that is enough to spend a lot of time thinking and meditating on, as it actually brings us back to before time and what was on the heart of God before He began the creative process, culminating in man.
Since we don't always grasp the magnitude of His creative thoughts and the reasoning behind them, we can also miss the practical applications in this world we live in, because in fact, since we are able to see this creation, already speaks a lot toward what it is God had in mind.
An illustration should help in that regard, which should help us capture a glimpse of His overall reason for making a visible world. That last part is especially important. He created heaven, which mankind isn't able to see, but also created a earth, which they can see. There's a reason he created a physical universe, and that's what we're going to explore.
Think of it this way. A man has an idea of the woman he thinks will be the ideal one to be his wife in this lifetime. There is also a woman that thinks the same thing. Neither of them know of one another, but they have the same desire to have a mate that is a great fit in all ways.
So each gets a piece of paper and writes down all the attributes they desire in a spouse which will help fill in the weaknesses they have, while also being representative of meeting their physical attraction desires as well.
Each writing down in detail their innermost thoughts, they start to construct their own idea of the ideal mate for them in Christ. After much labor and thought, the man and woman finally complete their list, and look at it with longing and anticipation.
After time, they so much fall in love with the idea of their perfect mate, they end up being satisfied with the description of that person, rather than the real person themselves.
That would be something of what the visible creation would be if God had stopped at that place. He had this extraordinary plan in place before He ever began creating, and if He would have stopped there -satisfied with His perfect idea, it would have been nothing more than an unfulfilled plan. It would have been an awesome plan, but one that would only include longing rather than fulfillment.
Imagine the Godhead holding a written description of the physical universe and earth, with the pinnacle of His creation - man, a wonderful thought that was all He ever needed to meet His purpose. What a disappointment that would be.
With that in mind, think of it in relationship to God's great purpose. He didn't stop with creating the invisible heaven. No. He continued on with the extraordinary universe which declared the grandeur of who He was. In other words, it was part of the very nature of God to be able to see in the way people see, this great universe He created. It is made of invisible stuff that had eternal elements as part of it.
If He had stopped like the two people above with the perfect description of what they were looking for, think of the lack it would have. We of course wouldn't know of it, because we would have been nothing more than a beautiful thought in the heart and mind of God. Thankfully that's not where He left it.
As fantastic as that is, it's only the beginning of understanding God's desire to visibly see His creation at work. He not only wanted that in general, but He put the responsibility of that upon man, where they were specifically commanded to subdue the earth. The purpose was not just to see something that had been visible represented in the visible world, His purpose was to see it in harmony with His nature and eternal purpose, which was to see man conformed to His image, ruling in reigning over the earth as His representatives. They were to rule with His shared authority and according to His nature, which means in obedience to His laws and commands. That's the harmony God is looking for. That's what moved God to create from before the foundation of the world.
Now with the help of the Holy Spirit, and in accordance to His revealed will in the Holy Scriptures, we can work together to implement His eternal plan, where that which is being done in heaven, over time, is what is being done on earth. That's the great prayer Jesus taught us to pray, that His will would be done and His kingdom come on earth in the same way it is being done in heaven.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Psalm 110:1-3
110 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Acts 2:
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Nothing could be more clear in the Bible than the words above given by the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ will sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool.
It doesn't matter how many headlines in the news are taken and tried to be forced into interpreting a Scripture. He will not return until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet.
Psalm 110 is magnificent in the description, as it connects to His people.
When it says, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies," it is a reference to His people, as represented by Zion. The rod of of His strength will be expressed through His faithful people. We will rule in the midst of our enemies, and they will be trained and disciplined to obey the commands of Jesus Christ as revealed in the entirety of the Bible.
This is a promise and declaration made, but it must be taken up by a "willing people," as it says. We must be willing in the day of His power. That day came when He sent the Spirit to indwell those who believed, as did His power.
We must first obey of course, as the term "in the beauties of holiness" suggests, and it appears the "womb of the morning" was a reference to the day the Church was born of the Spirit.
I want to focus primarily on "until His enemies are made His footstool," as it entails everything very clearly as to what we are to work for and toward in this age.
Peter's conclusion of the matter is important. God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. Jesus is Lord in order that He may be obeyed. He made that clear when He stated if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.
As it relates to Him remaining in heaven at the right hand of the Father, He will continue to exercise His Lordship on earth until He is obeyed. That obedience comes from the teaching of all the laws and commands of the Bible, and people lining up with the requirements.
Yet for some reason, believers think Jesus Christ the Lord doesn't have any requirements, in the sense of obeying the law. There's a false grace teaching that suggests there isn't even a need to repent from our sins, saying if repentance is required, it's a work. In other words, they're rebelling against God, twisting and distorting what He has said in order to call themselves Christians, without bringing forth the fruits of repentance. Many times this isn't honest believers being deceived, it's wicked liars used by Satan to distort and undermine the faith, in order to give the appearance of a Lord without any demands.
There is no escaping the reality that Jesus is Lord. There is no escaping the fact we are called to be conformed to His image. So as important as initial salvation is, it's just a moment in time. For the rest of our lives on this earth the Holy Spirit works to bring us into complete obedience to Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
Not only is this an obedience unto His commands, but also a call to apply His word to all areas of life. This is exciting when the implications of this set in, and God's people start to see the word of God becoming alive and applicable; something more than truth understood, but truth that is relevant to life on this earth.
It's extraordinary when reading the Scriptures to find ways to practically apply them to the lives we are living, and the things we are interested in pursuing.
There is nothing in life we are doing that doesn't come under the guidance of the Scriptures. We have to learn to take what we read and understand and look at ways to incorporate it into the projects or work we're involved with. It can be from raising children to sculpture; from building a business to flying a plane; from playing sports to teaching children about God; from communicating to one another to running for a government office; you get the point.
Once we start doing this and looking for ways to apply the Bible to our lives, it becomes a living word, not just an intellectual exercise we feel an obligation to partake in. We don't have to be cajoled to read, we eagerly read, looking for truths we've never seen before, from perspectives in life we never thought of. In other words, the Scriptures start to get exciting and challenging, and most importantly - relevant.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
110 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Acts 2:
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Nothing could be more clear in the Bible than the words above given by the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ will sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool.
It doesn't matter how many headlines in the news are taken and tried to be forced into interpreting a Scripture. He will not return until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet.
Psalm 110 is magnificent in the description, as it connects to His people.
When it says, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies," it is a reference to His people, as represented by Zion. The rod of of His strength will be expressed through His faithful people. We will rule in the midst of our enemies, and they will be trained and disciplined to obey the commands of Jesus Christ as revealed in the entirety of the Bible.
This is a promise and declaration made, but it must be taken up by a "willing people," as it says. We must be willing in the day of His power. That day came when He sent the Spirit to indwell those who believed, as did His power.
We must first obey of course, as the term "in the beauties of holiness" suggests, and it appears the "womb of the morning" was a reference to the day the Church was born of the Spirit.
I want to focus primarily on "until His enemies are made His footstool," as it entails everything very clearly as to what we are to work for and toward in this age.
Peter's conclusion of the matter is important. God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. Jesus is Lord in order that He may be obeyed. He made that clear when He stated if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.
As it relates to Him remaining in heaven at the right hand of the Father, He will continue to exercise His Lordship on earth until He is obeyed. That obedience comes from the teaching of all the laws and commands of the Bible, and people lining up with the requirements.
Yet for some reason, believers think Jesus Christ the Lord doesn't have any requirements, in the sense of obeying the law. There's a false grace teaching that suggests there isn't even a need to repent from our sins, saying if repentance is required, it's a work. In other words, they're rebelling against God, twisting and distorting what He has said in order to call themselves Christians, without bringing forth the fruits of repentance. Many times this isn't honest believers being deceived, it's wicked liars used by Satan to distort and undermine the faith, in order to give the appearance of a Lord without any demands.
There is no escaping the reality that Jesus is Lord. There is no escaping the fact we are called to be conformed to His image. So as important as initial salvation is, it's just a moment in time. For the rest of our lives on this earth the Holy Spirit works to bring us into complete obedience to Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures.
Not only is this an obedience unto His commands, but also a call to apply His word to all areas of life. This is exciting when the implications of this set in, and God's people start to see the word of God becoming alive and applicable; something more than truth understood, but truth that is relevant to life on this earth.
It's extraordinary when reading the Scriptures to find ways to practically apply them to the lives we are living, and the things we are interested in pursuing.
There is nothing in life we are doing that doesn't come under the guidance of the Scriptures. We have to learn to take what we read and understand and look at ways to incorporate it into the projects or work we're involved with. It can be from raising children to sculpture; from building a business to flying a plane; from playing sports to teaching children about God; from communicating to one another to running for a government office; you get the point.
Once we start doing this and looking for ways to apply the Bible to our lives, it becomes a living word, not just an intellectual exercise we feel an obligation to partake in. We don't have to be cajoled to read, we eagerly read, looking for truths we've never seen before, from perspectives in life we never thought of. In other words, the Scriptures start to get exciting and challenging, and most importantly - relevant.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? Part 1-B
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Acts 2:16-21
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Hebrews 1:1,2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
1 Peter 1:20
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Many Christians have accepted without question the idea that the time we're living in now (2015) is part of the last days. That has been an unfortunate outlook concerning the time believers have been living in since the 19th century.
As the Scriptures above irrefutable show, the last times wasn't something the Church and its leaders were looking for in some faraway future, it was considered immediate and unquestionably upon them almost 2,000 years ago.
The last days started when Jesus came to the earth, and was reinforced when He sent the Spirit to indwell believers.
Note some of the things mentioned above about Jesus in connection with the last days. He was appointed "heir of all things." "He made the worlds." He was "foreordained before the foundation of the world."
These are powerful insights into His greatness, grandeur and position as King of kings and Lord of lords, from before the foundation of the world, and continuing on through the last days, which were now initiated with His incarnation and appearance in the world.
Jesus Christ, the anointed One and heir of all things, had appeared in the world to take away sin and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), and after returning to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within those that put their faith in Jesus, and from there would begin to rule and reign on the earth - in the last days.
Initially, some of you will recoil from these words because you've always been taught the last days referred to a time right before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to resurrect us. Instead, the Holy Scriptures teach the last days aren't a period related to His immediate return, but rather it was related to the period when He came to the earth as a man.
The last days are a reference to the man Jesus Christ appearing in the fullness of times, and we continue to live in these last days now.
What are these last days all about then? What are their meaning? It's spoken clearly in Hebrews 1:2, where it states, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son."
The last days is about the Son of God speaking to us in His person and in His words, explaining as a man what God was like and what His expectations were of us.
It wasn't that He hadn't communicated His expectations before His appearance, it's that people had great difficulty relating to who He was because they didn't understand Him, or were hard of heart toward God in general.
"He was manifested in these last times for you." That's the essence of these last times. It's the manifestation of Jesus Christ in His own person, and then, after being filled with the Spirit at the new birth, He continues to manifest Himself in and through a people. That's what being conformed to His image is all about. It's the totality of what He wants for man in the last days before He returns.
There are of course numerous aspects of this, but the overall eternal purpose of God for man is that we will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ the man (Romans 8:29). This was a reference to Jesus the man, not His divinity.
So the last days or last times is going to be an expansion of Jesus Christ in His people, where they learn to obey Him from the heart and display that obedience in their adherence to His commands outwardly.
It's not one or the other, it's both.
That way a believer isn't outwardly displaying obedience, when inside they resent and despise the expectations of God for them. And on the other hand, it's not someone believing they have this good attitude towards God, but participate in all types of outward sins (sins can be in attitude or in action - within or without).
For that reason Jesus dealt with anger and lust in the heart, which can lead to murder and sexual immorality (Matthew 5:21-30).
Now when you think of the last days, think of Jesus Christ beginning a work about 2,000 years ago which He will continue to grow and expand until the time He resurrects us.
He will sit on the right hand of the Father until He makes His enemies a footstool for His feet (Hebrews 1:13). He will accomplish that in the last days, which we are now living in.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Acts 2:16-21
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Hebrews 1:1,2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
1 Peter 1:20
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Many Christians have accepted without question the idea that the time we're living in now (2015) is part of the last days. That has been an unfortunate outlook concerning the time believers have been living in since the 19th century.
As the Scriptures above irrefutable show, the last times wasn't something the Church and its leaders were looking for in some faraway future, it was considered immediate and unquestionably upon them almost 2,000 years ago.
The last days started when Jesus came to the earth, and was reinforced when He sent the Spirit to indwell believers.
Note some of the things mentioned above about Jesus in connection with the last days. He was appointed "heir of all things." "He made the worlds." He was "foreordained before the foundation of the world."
These are powerful insights into His greatness, grandeur and position as King of kings and Lord of lords, from before the foundation of the world, and continuing on through the last days, which were now initiated with His incarnation and appearance in the world.
Jesus Christ, the anointed One and heir of all things, had appeared in the world to take away sin and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), and after returning to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within those that put their faith in Jesus, and from there would begin to rule and reign on the earth - in the last days.
Initially, some of you will recoil from these words because you've always been taught the last days referred to a time right before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to resurrect us. Instead, the Holy Scriptures teach the last days aren't a period related to His immediate return, but rather it was related to the period when He came to the earth as a man.
The last days are a reference to the man Jesus Christ appearing in the fullness of times, and we continue to live in these last days now.
What are these last days all about then? What are their meaning? It's spoken clearly in Hebrews 1:2, where it states, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son."
The last days is about the Son of God speaking to us in His person and in His words, explaining as a man what God was like and what His expectations were of us.
It wasn't that He hadn't communicated His expectations before His appearance, it's that people had great difficulty relating to who He was because they didn't understand Him, or were hard of heart toward God in general.
"He was manifested in these last times for you." That's the essence of these last times. It's the manifestation of Jesus Christ in His own person, and then, after being filled with the Spirit at the new birth, He continues to manifest Himself in and through a people. That's what being conformed to His image is all about. It's the totality of what He wants for man in the last days before He returns.
There are of course numerous aspects of this, but the overall eternal purpose of God for man is that we will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ the man (Romans 8:29). This was a reference to Jesus the man, not His divinity.
So the last days or last times is going to be an expansion of Jesus Christ in His people, where they learn to obey Him from the heart and display that obedience in their adherence to His commands outwardly.
It's not one or the other, it's both.
That way a believer isn't outwardly displaying obedience, when inside they resent and despise the expectations of God for them. And on the other hand, it's not someone believing they have this good attitude towards God, but participate in all types of outward sins (sins can be in attitude or in action - within or without).
For that reason Jesus dealt with anger and lust in the heart, which can lead to murder and sexual immorality (Matthew 5:21-30).
Now when you think of the last days, think of Jesus Christ beginning a work about 2,000 years ago which He will continue to grow and expand until the time He resurrects us.
He will sit on the right hand of the Father until He makes His enemies a footstool for His feet (Hebrews 1:13). He will accomplish that in the last days, which we are now living in.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? (Part Seven)
Conclusion
I started out by talking about whether or not Jesus would return soon or not, and what our response should be whether He does or not during the time we're on the earth.
With that being how we're to view the eventual return of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is a call to faithful service in the midst of the life we live now, which should be one that is lived in a way that looks forward to the return of Jesus, but with the attitude whether He returns soon or not, we have the responsibility to occupy till He comes. That means doing our part to serve Him in whatever capacity He has called us to. This includes with our families, jobs, church, government, charities, or whatever it is He has called us to put our hands to.
What we need to understand is He must reign until all His enemies are put under His feet (1 Cor. 15:25). That will be done through His people as His representatives on earth, which means we must be faithful to effectually execute our assignments, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to expand the kingdom of God in this world, while we patiently wait for Him to come back and call us to Himself.
Until that happens, we are required to be faithful stewards of what He has put us in charge of.
I want to conclude with what Paul wrote to the Philippians in the second chapter (KJV):
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God is working something within us for the purpose of it being worked out here and now, with the backdrop of every knee bowing down before Jesus Christ to confess Him as Lord. Our job is to work toward this end while we are given the opportunity on the earth.
We are to give ourselves in service to that end while we patiently wait for the resurrection at the end of the age. Nothing less than subduing the whole earth is what we've been commanded, and it starts with us doing our part where we live and have responsibility now. If you don't have something to give yourself to, ask God, He'll give you the wisdom to show you where to apply your service.
Jesus Christ will work His Lordship within and towards us first, and from there spread it to those whose lives we are to have an influence on. That's the hidden Kingdom of God being quietly produced across the entire world, with the end being the people of the earth submitting unto it and being conformed to His image. We must accept nothing less than that as our purpose for living on planet earth.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
I started out by talking about whether or not Jesus would return soon or not, and what our response should be whether He does or not during the time we're on the earth.
With that being how we're to view the eventual return of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is a call to faithful service in the midst of the life we live now, which should be one that is lived in a way that looks forward to the return of Jesus, but with the attitude whether He returns soon or not, we have the responsibility to occupy till He comes. That means doing our part to serve Him in whatever capacity He has called us to. This includes with our families, jobs, church, government, charities, or whatever it is He has called us to put our hands to.
What we need to understand is He must reign until all His enemies are put under His feet (1 Cor. 15:25). That will be done through His people as His representatives on earth, which means we must be faithful to effectually execute our assignments, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to expand the kingdom of God in this world, while we patiently wait for Him to come back and call us to Himself.
Until that happens, we are required to be faithful stewards of what He has put us in charge of.
I want to conclude with what Paul wrote to the Philippians in the second chapter (KJV):
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God is working something within us for the purpose of it being worked out here and now, with the backdrop of every knee bowing down before Jesus Christ to confess Him as Lord. Our job is to work toward this end while we are given the opportunity on the earth.
We are to give ourselves in service to that end while we patiently wait for the resurrection at the end of the age. Nothing less than subduing the whole earth is what we've been commanded, and it starts with us doing our part where we live and have responsibility now. If you don't have something to give yourself to, ask God, He'll give you the wisdom to show you where to apply your service.
Jesus Christ will work His Lordship within and towards us first, and from there spread it to those whose lives we are to have an influence on. That's the hidden Kingdom of God being quietly produced across the entire world, with the end being the people of the earth submitting unto it and being conformed to His image. We must accept nothing less than that as our purpose for living on planet earth.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? (Part Six)
Progress and the Kingdom
Few of God's people are allowed to see the full fruit of their work when they're alive. I think the reason for that is in order for God to get the glory, and for people to understand it comes from the hand of God through His blessing and enablement. After all, without Him we can do nothing. Whether we are allowed to see a lot of the results of our planting and watering, or not, isn't for us to be concerned with. Our job is to plant and water. It's God's job to give the increase. If we see significant results, great. If not, that's okay too. Our motivation for faithful service has to be from obedience to God, not in seeing the outcome of our work.
Think of the lives of Abraham, Jesus and Paul when their work on the earth was completed. There was very little to show for it immediately, yet over time, they have had extraordinary influence in the affairs of mankind. We must adapt the same way of viewing our service in the kingdom.
It's interesting to note that Jesus said the kingdom doesn't come with observation. We do see results through the centuries and years, yet we have a hard time, even in our Internet age, tracing back who it was that was a key to many things being as they are today. I think that's part of God's plan in order to reveal to men that it is He that is doing it, no matter who the instrument of the work is.
In other words, we shouldn't be doing things to be seen or given credit for, but rather to glorify God and be part of expanding His kingdom in history. If He wants to give a public pat on the back for service well done, we should humbly accept it, but quickly understand that the only and comprehend the only reason we were able to accomplish anything is because God gave us the power and ability to do so.
Taking everything into account, being told "well done thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21) should be enough for all of us.
In reference to God's kingdom, as the many parables of Jesus teach us, it will continue to grow and fill the entire earth. Our part is to be faithful in the part He gives us to work in; considering it a terrific privilege and honor to serve in some capacity.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Few of God's people are allowed to see the full fruit of their work when they're alive. I think the reason for that is in order for God to get the glory, and for people to understand it comes from the hand of God through His blessing and enablement. After all, without Him we can do nothing. Whether we are allowed to see a lot of the results of our planting and watering, or not, isn't for us to be concerned with. Our job is to plant and water. It's God's job to give the increase. If we see significant results, great. If not, that's okay too. Our motivation for faithful service has to be from obedience to God, not in seeing the outcome of our work.
Think of the lives of Abraham, Jesus and Paul when their work on the earth was completed. There was very little to show for it immediately, yet over time, they have had extraordinary influence in the affairs of mankind. We must adapt the same way of viewing our service in the kingdom.
It's interesting to note that Jesus said the kingdom doesn't come with observation. We do see results through the centuries and years, yet we have a hard time, even in our Internet age, tracing back who it was that was a key to many things being as they are today. I think that's part of God's plan in order to reveal to men that it is He that is doing it, no matter who the instrument of the work is.
In other words, we shouldn't be doing things to be seen or given credit for, but rather to glorify God and be part of expanding His kingdom in history. If He wants to give a public pat on the back for service well done, we should humbly accept it, but quickly understand that the only and comprehend the only reason we were able to accomplish anything is because God gave us the power and ability to do so.
Taking everything into account, being told "well done thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21) should be enough for all of us.
In reference to God's kingdom, as the many parables of Jesus teach us, it will continue to grow and fill the entire earth. Our part is to be faithful in the part He gives us to work in; considering it a terrific privilege and honor to serve in some capacity.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? (Part Five)
Little Things
Another thing I've observed concerning God's people when they start to see these things is they tend to want to start a lot bigger than they're ready for. Many times that leads to discouragement and disaster, with people starting to believe God wasn't faithful and abandoned them when they needed Him the most.
The problem as I've seen it through the years is people will attempt to run before they learn to walk, and they bring most if not all of the disaster upon themselves. They may not be ready to perform the task they believe God has given them - as far as skills go - or they may not have reached the maturity level to understand it's going to be a long process that will cost them a lot.
Getting ahead of God and getting in over our heads is a sure way to failure, and it has nothing to do with God, other than He will patiently wait for us to understand what it is we did and why things didn't work out the way we expected them to.
We are admonished to not despise the days of small things (Zechariah 4:10), and we need to embrace that concept and be willing to quietly and faithfully go about our work until God brings us up to the next level, if that is in fact what His will is. We also shouldn't do things for the purpose of being seen. Public exposure before we're ready to handle all aspects of it is very dangerous.
The key is to work on becoming the best we can where we're working (not necessarily a job - it could be a work-at-home mom, or volunteer, etc.) now, and to faithfully serve there. That gives God some material He can work with. It also protects us from being publicly humiliated, even if we have inflicted that humiliation upon ourselves. This is one of the reasons God so many times in the Holy Scriptures admonishes us to wait on Him.
Waiting doesn't mean a passiveness that isn't working towards something, it means we are to be faithful in what we're now doing, while we wait or look for and anticipate the time God adds more responsibility to us. That's what many believers don't understand. Being rewarded in this life in service isn't receiving a crown, it's receiving more responsibility because we've proven we can be faithful and trusted in something little we were given to do. Rewards, as we think of them in the way mentioned above, will be handed out by God after the resurrection.
If we are faithful in little, we can be trusted to be faithful in much, if that is the will of God for us. We must be careful not to grab for responsibility prematurely, as that usually comes about from not properly discerning where we are at in the process and progress of our work. God knows when we're ready, and we need to learn to get out of the way and let Him open the doors for us. That is a protection for us, not something that is meant to frustrate.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
Another thing I've observed concerning God's people when they start to see these things is they tend to want to start a lot bigger than they're ready for. Many times that leads to discouragement and disaster, with people starting to believe God wasn't faithful and abandoned them when they needed Him the most.
The problem as I've seen it through the years is people will attempt to run before they learn to walk, and they bring most if not all of the disaster upon themselves. They may not be ready to perform the task they believe God has given them - as far as skills go - or they may not have reached the maturity level to understand it's going to be a long process that will cost them a lot.
Getting ahead of God and getting in over our heads is a sure way to failure, and it has nothing to do with God, other than He will patiently wait for us to understand what it is we did and why things didn't work out the way we expected them to.
We are admonished to not despise the days of small things (Zechariah 4:10), and we need to embrace that concept and be willing to quietly and faithfully go about our work until God brings us up to the next level, if that is in fact what His will is. We also shouldn't do things for the purpose of being seen. Public exposure before we're ready to handle all aspects of it is very dangerous.
The key is to work on becoming the best we can where we're working (not necessarily a job - it could be a work-at-home mom, or volunteer, etc.) now, and to faithfully serve there. That gives God some material He can work with. It also protects us from being publicly humiliated, even if we have inflicted that humiliation upon ourselves. This is one of the reasons God so many times in the Holy Scriptures admonishes us to wait on Him.
Waiting doesn't mean a passiveness that isn't working towards something, it means we are to be faithful in what we're now doing, while we wait or look for and anticipate the time God adds more responsibility to us. That's what many believers don't understand. Being rewarded in this life in service isn't receiving a crown, it's receiving more responsibility because we've proven we can be faithful and trusted in something little we were given to do. Rewards, as we think of them in the way mentioned above, will be handed out by God after the resurrection.
If we are faithful in little, we can be trusted to be faithful in much, if that is the will of God for us. We must be careful not to grab for responsibility prematurely, as that usually comes about from not properly discerning where we are at in the process and progress of our work. God knows when we're ready, and we need to learn to get out of the way and let Him open the doors for us. That is a protection for us, not something that is meant to frustrate.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? (Part Four)
Christian Service
One unfortunate thing I've observed when the followers of Jesus Christ start to realize we have to be in it for the long haul when being called to subdue the earth, is to start to think in terms of taking dominion as being the equivalent of lording it over people.
Jesus dealt with this by letting His early disciples know that that isn't how we're to view our corporate calling on earth. He let us know that it was those that serve which would be considered the greatest in His kingdom (Mk. 10:44), and that is how we must view obeying the commands of God given to us concerning His kingdom.
Service is what opens the hearts of men to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and those that are willing and able to serve are those that will have the greatest impact on this world, and will do their part most effectively to expand the kingdom of God on the earth.
The kingdom of God is dependent upon there being good ground for the seed of the word to enter and be fruitful, and faithful stewards help to keep the hearts of men and women open to receive the word. This is not only true concerning unbelievers, but believers also, who can have their hearts hardened by difficulties and distractions of this life and be unfruitful unto the Lord. Serving others helps to break up the fallow ground so the word of God can enter in and do what it intends and was meant to.
It's not that God's word won't or can't accomplish what it sets out to do, just that we have a part to play in the process, which is to be servants unto people on behalf of the Lord. This is the reason why Jesus told His disciples that if they didn't understand the parable of the sower they wouldn't be able to understand any of the parables (Mark 4).
Service is the currency of God's kingdom, and it's what, over time, helps to bring the practical presence of God into all of the world. By practical presence I mean living in obedience to his revealed word in the Holy Scriptures.
What I mean by that is God's general presence is everywhere, but that's not what He's after; He already has that by His very essence. What God is after is His practical presence being seen in His people (their character and deeds) around the world in all localities. That is how the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth. It's practical, and is expected and demanded to be revealed in and by His people … before He returns.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
One unfortunate thing I've observed when the followers of Jesus Christ start to realize we have to be in it for the long haul when being called to subdue the earth, is to start to think in terms of taking dominion as being the equivalent of lording it over people.
Jesus dealt with this by letting His early disciples know that that isn't how we're to view our corporate calling on earth. He let us know that it was those that serve which would be considered the greatest in His kingdom (Mk. 10:44), and that is how we must view obeying the commands of God given to us concerning His kingdom.
Service is what opens the hearts of men to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and those that are willing and able to serve are those that will have the greatest impact on this world, and will do their part most effectively to expand the kingdom of God on the earth.
The kingdom of God is dependent upon there being good ground for the seed of the word to enter and be fruitful, and faithful stewards help to keep the hearts of men and women open to receive the word. This is not only true concerning unbelievers, but believers also, who can have their hearts hardened by difficulties and distractions of this life and be unfruitful unto the Lord. Serving others helps to break up the fallow ground so the word of God can enter in and do what it intends and was meant to.
It's not that God's word won't or can't accomplish what it sets out to do, just that we have a part to play in the process, which is to be servants unto people on behalf of the Lord. This is the reason why Jesus told His disciples that if they didn't understand the parable of the sower they wouldn't be able to understand any of the parables (Mark 4).
Service is the currency of God's kingdom, and it's what, over time, helps to bring the practical presence of God into all of the world. By practical presence I mean living in obedience to his revealed word in the Holy Scriptures.
What I mean by that is God's general presence is everywhere, but that's not what He's after; He already has that by His very essence. What God is after is His practical presence being seen in His people (their character and deeds) around the world in all localities. That is how the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth. It's practical, and is expected and demanded to be revealed in and by His people … before He returns.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? (Part Three)
Taking Responsibility
One of the first things that happens when we realize we may have to live out our lives fully on this earth, and eventually die, is we must take responsibility for the time we're here. God does have expectations for us, and we must search out and find what they are Scripturally, and then be faithful stewards of that calling as we prepare and become as good as we can at what we do be within those parameters.
Some will think at this time that you can believe in the Lord returning soon and still be faithful to a calling. And in some cases that could be true. The vast majority of believers don't hold to that though, and instead are looking for an escape, which definitely hinders how effective they are for the Lord in the time they are given on the earth. I've seen it far too many times to be convinced otherwise.
As a matter of fact, many people aren't even convinced there's something to subdue on the earth, believing the command is no longer relevant, or limit it to a very minimal sphere of life; such as evangelism toward the individual.
While that's of course very important, it's far from the entirety of what it is God has had in mind for His people before the foundations of heaven and earth were laid. We need a much larger vision of what the eternal purpose of God is and what His overall thought was when He created man.
As vital as being saved from the judgment of God is, it's only the first step in our walk with God; a doorway that is opened into all that God had originally planned for us from before creation. Salvation brings us back into being right with God, and from there He starts to reveal to us and open up all that He had in mind for man. Salvation not only delivers us from the wrath of God, but it sets us back onto the path of the purpose of God, which in the end, is to have His people conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That will be brought into practical reality both corporately and individually throughout the earth.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
One of the first things that happens when we realize we may have to live out our lives fully on this earth, and eventually die, is we must take responsibility for the time we're here. God does have expectations for us, and we must search out and find what they are Scripturally, and then be faithful stewards of that calling as we prepare and become as good as we can at what we do be within those parameters.
Some will think at this time that you can believe in the Lord returning soon and still be faithful to a calling. And in some cases that could be true. The vast majority of believers don't hold to that though, and instead are looking for an escape, which definitely hinders how effective they are for the Lord in the time they are given on the earth. I've seen it far too many times to be convinced otherwise.
As a matter of fact, many people aren't even convinced there's something to subdue on the earth, believing the command is no longer relevant, or limit it to a very minimal sphere of life; such as evangelism toward the individual.
While that's of course very important, it's far from the entirety of what it is God has had in mind for His people before the foundations of heaven and earth were laid. We need a much larger vision of what the eternal purpose of God is and what His overall thought was when He created man.
As vital as being saved from the judgment of God is, it's only the first step in our walk with God; a doorway that is opened into all that God had originally planned for us from before creation. Salvation brings us back into being right with God, and from there He starts to reveal to us and open up all that He had in mind for man. Salvation not only delivers us from the wrath of God, but it sets us back onto the path of the purpose of God, which in the end, is to have His people conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That will be brought into practical reality both corporately and individually throughout the earth.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? (Part Two)
Great Encouragement
For many of you who have believed the pop-prophecy books, it may at first seem odd to deal with the fact they have all been wrong concerning the return of Jesus Christ. It may also appear to be discouraging and challenging at the same time, as it means we have to change the way we think and start to develop the gifts God has given us to serve the generation we live in.
In other words, rather than looking for a way to escape, we need to start to look for ways we can take responsibility while planning for the long term. It must be done Biblically.
After this is understood and embraced, it can become very encouraging, as a lot of our fears can be relieved and discarded as we realize we can make a difference with our lives, and we have the time to do it.
We can leave the time Jesus will return to the Father and Himself, while we obey His mandate to subdue the earth and teach all the nations everything He commanded (Mt. 28:19), as the Great Commission requires us to do.
Again, the point isn't that Jesus won't return, because He will. The point is we need to plan and order our lives as if He won't return during our time on earth. If He surprises us, fine. We've lost nothing. But if we sit around doing nothing unto the Lord because we wrongly believe He's returning any moment, we can lose our reward (not our salvation).
This is why I say there is everything to gain by living as if Jesus Christ won't return for a long time, and much to lose if we decide to do nothing because we believe He is going to snatch us away when things are getting hard for us on earth. If we have an escapist mentality, we will do little or nothing while we "hang on" till he delivers us from difficult times.
The Biblical way to live life is to seek God concerning where and how He wants us to serve during the time we are alive on earth, while at the same time retaining the blessed hope that there is a moment He will return and resurrect all people and bring to judgment the living and the dead.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
For many of you who have believed the pop-prophecy books, it may at first seem odd to deal with the fact they have all been wrong concerning the return of Jesus Christ. It may also appear to be discouraging and challenging at the same time, as it means we have to change the way we think and start to develop the gifts God has given us to serve the generation we live in.
In other words, rather than looking for a way to escape, we need to start to look for ways we can take responsibility while planning for the long term. It must be done Biblically.
After this is understood and embraced, it can become very encouraging, as a lot of our fears can be relieved and discarded as we realize we can make a difference with our lives, and we have the time to do it.
We can leave the time Jesus will return to the Father and Himself, while we obey His mandate to subdue the earth and teach all the nations everything He commanded (Mt. 28:19), as the Great Commission requires us to do.
Again, the point isn't that Jesus won't return, because He will. The point is we need to plan and order our lives as if He won't return during our time on earth. If He surprises us, fine. We've lost nothing. But if we sit around doing nothing unto the Lord because we wrongly believe He's returning any moment, we can lose our reward (not our salvation).
This is why I say there is everything to gain by living as if Jesus Christ won't return for a long time, and much to lose if we decide to do nothing because we believe He is going to snatch us away when things are getting hard for us on earth. If we have an escapist mentality, we will do little or nothing while we "hang on" till he delivers us from difficult times.
The Biblical way to live life is to seek God concerning where and how He wants us to serve during the time we are alive on earth, while at the same time retaining the blessed hope that there is a moment He will return and resurrect all people and bring to judgment the living and the dead.
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon? Part One
After many years of assertions by a number of prognosticators concerning the alleged imminent return of Jesus Christ, I think it's far past time we accept the fact they were wrong; we can't continue to look at current events and news stories reported on through various media outlets and attempt to impose them on what the Bible says.
At minimum it amounts to silliness, and at worst, it conditions untrained believers into believing current events and how they unfold can be identified by every new crisis breaking out in the world.
The problem is many Christians have taken in and believed these so-called prophetic events and made decisions on how to live their lives based upon them. The result has been to abandon a long-term view of God's plan for the earth and what we can do to contribute to, build and expand the kingdom of God.
We must now look to how we can serve in a way that will be beneficial for those generations that will live on the earth after we've gone; potentially and probably long into the future.
There is no upside to living our lives on earth based upon the wrongly predicted soon return of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, there is plenty of upside when we decide to dedicate our lives to Jesus Christ while we're alive on the earth, to the end we walk in obedience to Him; including obedience to the command we are to subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28), as He communicated to Adam and Eve, and which command continues to be in effect to this day.
Jesus Christ will return at the appointed time. We are to occupy until He does come (Luke 19:13). This doesn't mean we aren't to look forward to the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) of His return and our resurrection, but that we are to live our lives in a way that assumes He may not return during the time we are living on the earth.
I believe what we must do now is ask this question: How are we to live our lives now if we have no way of knowing if Jesus is going to return soon?
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
At minimum it amounts to silliness, and at worst, it conditions untrained believers into believing current events and how they unfold can be identified by every new crisis breaking out in the world.
The problem is many Christians have taken in and believed these so-called prophetic events and made decisions on how to live their lives based upon them. The result has been to abandon a long-term view of God's plan for the earth and what we can do to contribute to, build and expand the kingdom of God.
We must now look to how we can serve in a way that will be beneficial for those generations that will live on the earth after we've gone; potentially and probably long into the future.
There is no upside to living our lives on earth based upon the wrongly predicted soon return of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, there is plenty of upside when we decide to dedicate our lives to Jesus Christ while we're alive on the earth, to the end we walk in obedience to Him; including obedience to the command we are to subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28), as He communicated to Adam and Eve, and which command continues to be in effect to this day.
Jesus Christ will return at the appointed time. We are to occupy until He does come (Luke 19:13). This doesn't mean we aren't to look forward to the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) of His return and our resurrection, but that we are to live our lives in a way that assumes He may not return during the time we are living on the earth.
I believe what we must do now is ask this question: How are we to live our lives now if we have no way of knowing if Jesus is going to return soon?
What if Jesus Doesn't Return Soon
False End-time Prophecies and Loss of Functioning of Body of Christ
In the Heart of God before creation
Sit ... Until I Make Thine Enemies Thy Footstool
Some Thoughts on the Last Days
Great Encouragement
Taking Responsibility
Christian Service
Little Things
Progress and the Kingdom
Conclusion
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