Deception

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 Paul was writing to a church where carnality, impurity, and open sin was being practiced and lived out. We in the 21st century western church would do well to take note, for I believe much of what he wrote is taking place in congregations throughout His church. How can this be? By the very thing Paul warned them of in his letter. The deception of the enemy over so many who would profess to follow Jesus Christ. I write this without rancor or condemnation. Many a sincere heart has been deceived into an unrighteous way of life by his honeyed words, but the result is always the same, acts of darkness lived out in the light, and the deception of those involved goes deep. The reasons for it are many; a wrong understanding of His grace, which we have cheapened. A misunderstanding of His love, which we believe is permissive. A wrong conception of His holiness, which we wrongly interpret, both in the pulpit and the pew, as legalism. The result is that His church in the 21st century has made peace with sin on many fronts. The ways of the Kingdom have not leavened the ways of the world, but the ways of the world have seasoned the ways of His Kingdom. As a result, we have sanctuaries that are peopled by more than a few whose day to day behavior looks no different than that of the world. We see it in dating relationships, where the professing believers are just as sexually active as unbelievers can be. We see it in business practices, leisure pursuits, and in what we read and watch. I have heard ones who are living in disobedience speak of how they look forward to an eternity "with their Jesus," without any conviction of the sinful ways they're engaging in. Again, I am not condemning or judging. I know how easily we can be tainted by the sin of the world. There have been times in my own life where I have been as well, but I believe the Holy Spirit is exposing the darkness that exists in His Church, for He will have a pure and holy Church. The need of the hour is for pulpits to be filled with those who will confront the sin and deception so many are living in. In love, but directly and with clarity as to the consequences of continuing on with such a lifestyle. The love of Jesus Christ can do no less. True love, bathed in His Light will always confront the darkness. This spirit of demonic deception knows its time is short, because I believe the church is awakening. May we become fully awake and fully alive, and be exactly what we, the church, are to be. And we, you and I, are the church. May we awaken. May we come alive. May we be His glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, washed in the blood of the Lamb. Blessings, Pastor O

Leaning

One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was leaning against Jesus' chest. John 13:23.....We are each the disciple whom He loves, Let us live leaning upon Him. Chris Tiegreen I think we tend to read this Scripture and come away with the idea that Jesus loved this disciple, believed to be John, more than the others. When we believe that, we then easily conclude that He must love others more than He loves us. This is not so. However, it is so that there are those who have a greater intimacy with Him than others who also follow Him. The reason they do is that being near Him, leaning on Him if you will, is a desire so strong that they will not be denied in it. We see this in Gethsemane as well, when Jesus called Peter, James, and John aside and asked them to be with Him as He prayed. He yearned for their fellowship. It was not that He cared more for them than for the other 8 (Judas was not present). It was that they had a connection to His heart and life that went deeper than it did, at least at that time, in the others. I can't explain why it is that some of His people seem to be so much more tuned into His being than others. It does not mean that the others are less in their love for Him, but there is something in the heart of the ones who draw so near as the three that will not be satisfied with anything less than His fullness. They want all of Him in all of themselves. He seeks to kindle that kind of hunger in all of us, but not all of us live with such a hunger. I desire that I would be such a one. I desire you would be as well. That we would be those who live "leaning on Him." If we will be so, one of the first things that will happen is that we will hear His heartbeat. We'll come to be in tune with His heartbeat. We'll begin to follow where His heartbeat leads.And as this takes place, our hearts will begin to beat in unison with His. It is no accident that John, who did live leaning upon His heart, was the man who received the visions and truths written in the book of Revelation. To live leaning upon His heart means He will reveal and we will see things that so many others never do. I said I didn't know why some had this depth with Him and others didn't, but maybe I do have an idea. Could it be that the others let things into their lives that distracted them from Him, from His words, even from His heart? They loved Him, they followed Him, but their focus wasn't fully on Him, at least in that time. Maybe that marks some of us, and it keeps us from the intimacy He invites us to. It keeps us from leaning fully onto and into Him. May it be that we come to lean on Him so completely that our hearts beat with His. Leaning so closely that our heartbeat can't be distinguished from His. Blessings, Pastor O

Two Songs

Close enough to feel the warmth of the fire, far enough away for me to hide....I was offered resurrection, but I settled for the grave. Jesus At A Distance - Casting Crowns....Jesus, how can I be sure that I will not lose my follow through between the altar and the door? Between The Altar And The Door - Casting Crowns I fear the lyrics of the above two songs describe far too many of those who profess to follow Him and who sit in church week after week. Maybe, in some areas of our heart, we do as well. How much of our life fits into the lyrics of the first song. How many of us come close enough to Christ to feel the warmth of the fire that is His heart and life. We come close, but never close enough to be consumed by that fire. We're part of a crowd looking at the fire, hearing about the fire, even feeling some of the fire, but we never come too close. We stay just far enough away to hide. We like the light and the warmth we feel from the fire, but never so much as to come completely out of the darkness that hides us. We're attracted to Him, but never strongly enough to throw ourselves completely upon Him. Our hearts warm to the message of His resurrection life and all that He offers us in that life. But never enough to leave the grave of our self-life. In the end, our flesh's fear of the death of our self-life keeps us at a distance from Jesus. Then there are the words to the second song. How often have we come to an altar of prayer, intent on yielding all to Him, of inviting all of Him to ourselves? We're sincere. We want what we're praying for. We're turning everything over to Him. All our burdens, cares, habits, even our sins. All of it. We give it all to Him. It's out of our hands and into His. Then we leave that altar, that place of surrender, and somehow, between that place and the doorway out.....we take it all back. We don't just take back the "stuff," we take back our control. It is all out of His hands and back into ours. The victory we thought we had won at the altar of prayer...is lost. Lost in our follow-through. It's a familiar story. How often has it been our story? What part of it is our story now? How much longer will it continue to be? Two Songs. Will the gap, the distance that we've kept between us and Jesus Christ just keep widening, or will we cease our running and hiding and just throw ourselves upon Him? If we dare, we'll find that He was always right before us. For Him, there was no distance between us. Then, will we at last truly pray through to Him at the altar of prayer. Will we fully release all that makes for our life into His hands? Will we at last really enter into the life that He died and rose to give us? When we come to that "door" that will surely be there, will we go through into the fullness of life He's promised us? Will we, in the face of His offer of resurrection, go on choosing the grave? Blessings, Pastor O

God's Day

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 "Evil's day is short. God's day is eternal." J.B. Chapman This saying really struck me this morning. Right now, I know of so many people who are suffering various types of afflictions. The death of loved ones, sickness, divorce, the rebellion of children, and needs that are desperate. All these things are part of a world that was never meant to be, but they are because of one terrible thing; sin. The entrance of sin through the rebellion of Adam opened the door for death, in all of its forms, to come upon us all. Very often, it seems like it is the followers of Christ who experience the most suffering of all. For such as those, Chapman's words can seem hollow. The pains of this fallen world will seem to be endless. What is the response of the one who has given their life to following Him? I doubt very much that I can give an adequate answer to that question, but I'll attempt to do so. I think we must start with knowing and believing that His eternal life is not merely a future hope. It is a present reality for those who are His. His eternal life has at its center His joy. Joy that witnesses to our hearts that evil's day is not final. That it will not triumph over us. That He is with us and that He will not leave us comfortless in the midst of evil. Most of all He assures us that evil will not have the last word. He does, and as someone said, His last word is always victory. I have always loved reading the words of those who have walked or are presently walking through the fires of suffering and pain. The common thread in all of it is the experience of His Presence and Life that they have in all of it. When Nebuchadnezzar had the three Hebrew youths thrown into the furnace of fire for refusing to worship him, he first ordered them bound so that they could not move. Yet the very flames meant to destroy them were used of the Christ who was with them to burn those cords away. Jesus Christ takes what evil means to destroy us with and turns it into that which takes us ever deeper into His life and freedom. What the enemy means for harm, God turns to good. For the believer, eternal life begins now, and there is no power on earth or in heaven that can destroy it. It enables us to bear the darkness with the light of His hope and joy. A hope and joy that can sing the words of the old hymn, "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus. One look at His dear face, all sorrow will erase." Beloved, evil's day is short. His day is forever. Hold on to Him for He is surely holding on to you. Let your heart hold to the truth that it really will be worth it all....when you see Jesus. Blessings, Pastor O

The Uttermost

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 Joni Eareckson Tada once said, "I want to live and give a Gospel that saves every day and sustains and shapes me every day." So do I. I expect that you do too. Are we? Do our lives witness to that truth? His Word says that in Him we can. To the uttermost means that there are no limits to the reach of both Him and His Word. It doesn't mean that there will not be storms, trials, and heavy obstacles. It does not mean there will be no suffering. It does mean that in all things, even the darkest things, we will be "more than conquerors" as we trust in Him. As we live in Him. What would happen in our lives if, at the beginning of every day, we declared thatg this day, we will trust that His saving grace will be abundant towards us. More than sufficient grace. Overcoming grace. Limitless grace. How can we not? Paul said that the followers of Christ will live in the power of His resurrected life. We have a risen life. It is life that infuses itself throughout our being each day throughout the day. His grace saves us, sustains us, guides, keeps us and enables us to live our lives as overcomers. This doesn't mean that we are always happy. Happiness is an emotion that depends upon our circumstances. What it means is that we are joyful. Joy is a condition that doesn't depend upon what is happening around us but is the result of His life within us. Happiness is rooted in a realm that is passing away. Our joy is anchored to an eternal realm that will never end. Jesus said that in this world we would have trouble, but to be of good cheer, for He has overcome this world. Each of us knows a great deal about trouble. We have experienced it ourselves through the death of loved ones, the collapse of marriages and homes, and losses of every kind. That is what it is to live in a world held in the grip of sin. Yet, our hope is not grounded in anything of this world, but in the One in whom all things in this world and the one to come are held together. Joni Eareckson Tada has lived this kind of life for nearly 70 years now. All while confined as a quadriplegic to a wheelchair. All while suffering great physical pain in her affliction, but in all of it, living a life that He "saves," sustains, and raises every day, and in numberless ways. He saves to the uttermost, which means His saving grace extends beyond the very worst that sin can do, and sin's last great attack is death, and death has already been overcome by life. His life. May it be that we, you and I, wherever we are, going through whatever we are, believe that, trust in that, and live that. May we live to the uttermost...in Jesus Christ. Blessings, Pastor O

Eternity

A man named Dane Ortlund has said that, "We are so used to a fallen world that sickness, disease, and pain seem natural. In fact, they are the interruption." Think on that for a moment. Really think on it. How true do we see that to be? Yes, we know that all these things entered into this world through sin. All of creation has suffered because of it. We realize that, but I think it is true that we have become very used to their presence. So used to them that we forget, too easily, that this was never meant to be. None of this was ever meant to be our lot. Scripture says that He placed eternity in our hearts. This is the longing within us for the existence we were created for, but our preoccupation with the things of this world has deadened that longing. Everything in this fallen and passing world seems more real, more permanent, than the wonders of eternity. Be honest. How much of your thinking focuses on the life to come as compared to the half-life we live in this realm? Someone said, and they said it about we who profess to be Christ's followers, that we know eternity is our destination, but we're not anxious to go there. That we almost have to be taken against our will. I'm at an age now where my thoughts are directed more and more towards His eternal Kingdom and the life I was created for. I think about the wonders that Jesus said our eyes and ears would not believe what we see and hear there. It is indescribable. Paul was taken up to heaven and could not even begin to tell what he saw. Isn't it tragic the amount of energy and time we spend focusing on a realm that we'll only be a part of for a breath, while the eternal home we say we're heading to is almost an afterthought? There's so much more to say, but I'll close with this question. Could it be that our hearts and minds are so far removed from His Kingdom reality that should we be taken into it and His Presence today, we'd be totally unprepared for it. We say that heaven is our home, but would it really feel like "home?" Would it feel much more like a foreign country? Today, many people like to talk about their investments. Our annuities, stocks, 401 K's. We can recite all the numbers for them. Where is our investment in eternity? We have eternal souls. One day, we'll all stand before Him. What we've given our life and heart to will be seen. What will we see, what will all see, when that day comes? Blessings, Pastor O

Stormriders

It's been said that sometimes all life seems to be is a series of storms and shipwrecks. They were referring to Paul's experience on his journey to Rome, where his ship encountered a fierce, days-long storm, and eventual shipwreck. Life can seem like that for all of us at one time or another. It's what we hear and what we believe in the storm that will make all the difference in how we get through...or even if we get through. Susie Larson writes that our storms reveal the lies we believe and the truth we need. It's our part to decide who and what we'll believe. In a sense, following Christ will make "Stormriders" out of all of us. Will we ride them in faith and trust, or in captivity to the lies we believe? In the midst of the fierce and destructive winds and waves that Paul's ship was facing, an angel of the Lord appeared to Paul and told him that though the ship would eventually be lost, Paul, and all aboard would be saved if they didn't try to abandon the ship. Larson writes, "We must bend an ear toward heaven, rather than listen to what hell has to say." Our dilemma as believers is that heaven speaks softly and less often than hell. Hell screams, threatens, and its voice is constant. Who do we bend our ears to as both speak to us in the storm? The enemy will be relentless. He will be loud, and his lies will attack us at our most vulnerable place. In our fears. We must decide that we will listen for and to the whispers of heaven over the shouts of hell. The wonderful mystery is that if we make the heart choice to do so, it will be His whispers that speak loudest to our hearts and minds. As the ship began to sink, the crew and soldiers on board made ready to leave the ship. That always seems the best choice to our flesh. Paul, in the power of his faith in Christ and His promise, convinced them to stay aboard. As a result, every one of the more than 200 souls on board were saved. Storms are everywhere these days. The need for experienced Stormriders is desperate. May you and I be found among them. May we be the ones who hear His promises and tell all those around us, as Paul did, that we believe that "it will happen just as He told us." The sailors and soldiers on board were depending on their ship to keep them alive. Paul depended upon His God. Storms are inevitable. We will either ride them or be drowned by them. It will all depend upon who we listen to. Will it be the liar, or the Voice of Truth? Blessings, Pastor O