Seeing Jesus

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me Psalm 23:4 Joni Eareckson Tada, a woman much acquainted with suffering, said that "There is nothing more heavenly than seeing Christ in your hell." I know that she's right. I know it from my experience, and I know it through the testimonies of so many others. Just today a lovely young woman who has gone through two deep losses in the last two years, shared with me how she "saw" Jesus in the midst of her suffering. It was beautiful to hear, and I don't doubt a word of it. I have similar instances where He "showed up" in the midst of my pain and heartache. On a bitterly cold winter night near Christmas, on the lonely church campground I was living at, I returned home from work. I was feeling more lonely and forgotten than I ever had. Satan was tormenting me about it all, throwing darts at my mind about the seeming absence of Christ and His faithfulness. When I got into the little cottage I was staying in, I went to my Bible and came upon Paul's words concerning his trial before Caesar. He said, "At my first defense, no one stood with me, all had abandoned me, but Christ came and stood with me." His words leaped out of the pages of His Holy Word. I knew exactly how Paul must have felt. What happened next is mystical but remains as real to me as if it happened just yesterday. As I contemplated what I had read, I suddenly "saw" in my mind a scene of myself, being attacked by the devil in the form of a lion. Scripture says that he goes about seeking whom he might devour. He was certainly trying to do so with me. Suddenly, I saw my Lord Jesus enter the scene and wrap me in His arms of love. With a gesture, He put the lion to flight. The scene ended, but I knew it was real. He had come. Indeed, He'd never left, and He showed me that He hadn't. Like the old hymn goes, "He was there all the time." That's how I know how true Eareckson's words are. Nothing is more heavenly than when Jesus Christ appears in our hell. If you're walking through hell today, beloved, don't stop. Press on. He'll give you the strength to keep going, and I believe that if you're at that point of giving up, as I was, He will appear. He will put the tormentor to flight. He'll remind you again, that He's been there all the time. He never promised to keep us from suffering. He has promised to be there with us in the middle of it and take us all the way through, stronger, deeper in Him than we ever thought we could be. He has never promised to answer every question or make every hard place easy. He has promised to walk through it with us, or when needed, carry us through. A young woman named McKinnon Galloway who has been suffering through painful surgeries and debilitating physical losses since the age of 16 said, "Faith is not having all the answers. It's holding onto God when nothing else makes sense." Hold on. I believe that as you do, the old hymn words will come true for you. "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus. One look at His dear face, all sorrows will erase." This will be fully true in eternity, but I believe that as you cling to Him, you will also see Him. Hold on! Blessings, Pastor O

Hearing and Seeing

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. Matthew 13:16 Jesus spoke these words to His disciples just after he had described the generation He had come to as having eyes and ears to see and hear, but they could not see and they could not hear....but His disciples could. I believe He speaks these very words to our present generation as well. Most especially those who would describe themselves as His followers. We cannot expect those who do not know Him to either see or hear the things of the Spirit. They have no ability to do so. Jesus wasn't speaking to a generation of people who knew nothing of God's Word. They did, yet they could not see or hear that Word as it was right before them in the Person of Christ. Here in the 21st century church, we also know of His Word, and He is definitely working and speaking in the midst of all that is happening right now in our culture and in the culture of the church....I have written in my prayer journal, Father, we see but don't see, hear but don't hear. In the events unfolding before us, let us see what You're doing and hear what You're saying. Jesus was speaking to professing believers, but most did not hear what He was saying or see what He was doing. Where do we fit today? With the "most" who see and hear without seeing or hearing anything, or with that much smaller group that does? I think what we're seeing unfold everywhere around us, as well as within the church itself, has deep ramifications for us on every level of life. For our nation, the nations, for ourselves and our families, and especially for the church. I have been praying for the Father to raise up a generation of "men of Issachar," men who recognize the times they are living in and know how to respond and act in those times. Most especially are such needed in the pulpit. The church is desperate for those who can bring forth the depths of His Word in the power of His Holy Spirit. Men and women who hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. Those who move and speak with a holy boldness, fearless, whose hearts burn to share what the Lord is saying to them and to His church. Those who are willing to be "Watchmen on the wall." Those with discernment, wisdom, and understanding. It will be a lonely calling. In many ways an unpopular one. Those who love comfort and ease do not enjoy being shaken awake. There is so much more that could be said. I simply close sharing with you the call I believe He has sent forth to His people. God never called the prophet Isaiah by name. He simply spoke, "Who will go for us?" Isaiah heard the call. Isaiah went, and Isaiah spoke. The need for a generation of Isaiah's of every kind is desperate. Who among us hears? Who among us sees? Who among us will speak up and speak out? Blessings, Pastor O

Deceived

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1...."Deception is the penalty for rejecting truth." Dudley Hall..."Seeking God for discernment must be our first priority." Francis Frangiapane Dudley Hall's words concerning the ultimate cost of rejecting His Truth have been playing out since the Garden, when the serpent asked Eve about God's warning to not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He asked her, "Did God really say that?" Satan convinced her to doubt what the Father had said, and deception took over. Satan hasn't changed his tactics since. He has cloaked the world in deception to this day. He's also managed to deceive, at various times and degrees, much of the professing church as well. The reason, at root, is that we don't know His Word or the power of His Truth. We're letting the enemy continue to ask, "Did He really say that?" as well as related kinds of questions like, "Could that still be true in this modern world where so much has changed?" and a multitude of other questions that all bring the truth and authority of His Word into question. When we entertain these questions and thoughts, we open the door to being deceived, and many have. We're living in days when so much of the church lacks Holy Spirit discernment, wisdom, and understanding. His Word may be known in our heads but it's not hidden in our heart. That was Eve. She knew what God had said, but it wasn't internalized, a part of her. Then, we not only don't test the spirits that speak the things we're listening to, we question whether such spirits even exist. A literal devil and the demonic power he operates in is doubted by more than a few. Satan gleefully rejoices in this. It gives him a wide open door into the minds and hearts of those who profess to know and follow Him. He's gotten so many to question and doubt the authority of Scripture, or even doubt that Scripture is really rooted in the personality and being of Almighty God. He spoke to His people Israel in the OT, "My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge." We are still being destroyed. How much longer will the destruction go on? It's my prayer that the Father will raise up a generation of preachers who boldly proclaim the whole word and counsel of God. Preachers who fear God but have no fear of what the hearers of His truth might say or do in response. It's also my prayer that He will raise up preachers and teachers who instruct and teach on the realities of the spiritual realm; that we have an enemy who really does move about constantly seeking those he might deceive and then destroy. It's my prayer that He will raise up a church that proclaims the reality of sin, of hell, of holiness, and of the cross of Christ. Scripture says that when Christ is lifted up, He will draw all humankind to Himself. We lift up the Christ who truly is, not a Christ as we wish or want Him to be. A Christ fashioned by our own desires. I believe that when the church does this, deception will be crushed, His Truth will reign, and the people of God will walk in the fullness of His discernment, wisdom, and understanding. Lord, make it so. Make it so now. Blessings, Pastor O

The Crisis

I recently listened to a brother talk about a number of men that he has worked with who never seem to really enter into victorious and abundant life in Christ.They live in cycles of defeat. I understood. In more than 40 years of ministry, I have encountered the very same thing, and I believe I know why it is so. I'm an adherent to Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine and teaching, the teachings of John Wesley. Wesley was a strong advocate of what he called a "second work of grace," what we call "entire sanctification." To be sanctified is to be set apart for Him alone, with no part of our heart, lives, or will held back. Paul said that we are "crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us (and through us.) Our will and desire to control our lives is crucified, and we are fully yielded to His will and His Lordship. The result of this is the fullness of His Holy Spirit entering our being and we now have the power and ability to live a holy, overcoming and victorious life. The power of those things that once controlled us and held us in bondage has been broken. Wesley's brother Charles wrote of it in his great hymn; "My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee." This deeper work of grace comes about as a result of a crisis. We are brought to a place where we are confronted with our inability to free ourselves from those things holding us in captivity, be it alcohol, drugs, pornography, raging anger, lust, and a seemingly endless range of "masters." This deeper work of grace happens at His cross. We come to His cross, and at His cross our will is crucified so that we might come fully alive in the fullness of His. We begin to live in His resurrection life and power. The things that hold us captive are the things of death. His Cross yields life, His life. At the cross, the cycles of defeat are broken. We can now live in the power of His risen life. Space doesn't allow me to tell you of how I came to know the truth of all this. Let me just say that for the first year of my walk with Him, growth was very difficult. Habits, ways of thinking, attitudes, and more were stumbling blocks in my walk. I kept failing at the same things. Finally, after another failure, I had reached my crisis point. I had come once more to His cross. This time I didn't turn away, I surrendered. Everything. I died to my way at the cross and came alive to His way. Abundant and overcoming life was the result. Yes, there were still great challenges, and yes, there was still much needed growth in my life, but the cycles of defeat were over. He kept calling me upwards and I kept walking by the power of His life. I still am. Not perfectly, but consistently. Maybe you're at another crisis point in your life. Maybe you think all this just isn't possible. I invite you to run to His cross, not away from it. Let Him crucify all that is not Him in your life so that you may live in the power of all that is His life. All you have to lose is your prison cell, and you gain all the fullness of His life. At the cross you will find life. He promises it. Put that promise to the test. All you can lose are your chains. Blessings, Pastor O

For Joy

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 We live in a fallen world. Because of this, life can contain a great amount of pain and suffering. Followers of Christ are not exempt from any of it. As Scripture says, it rains upon the just and the unjust. Hebrews 12:2 shows us the way we are to live in the midst of this reality. We are to keep our focus on Christ, the Author, the Pioneer of our faith. This can be deeply challenging, especially in some of the dark places that life can take us to. The death of loved ones. The waywardness of our children. Divorce, strife, the estrangement of families from one another. These all bring deep cuts into our mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. It can all be, it all will be, too much for our human strength to endure. It is not too much for Him. Psalm 23 tells us that we will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but it also tells us to "fear no evil." Shadows cannot really harm us. We're also told that He is with us there, and He is, but too often, we end up living and thinking like He isn't. So, we end up living as victims of the valley rather than overcomers in it. We overcome by continuing to look to Him, and we are able to do so because we are abiding in Him, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We keep looking to Him, and as we do so, the joy of the Lord becomes our strength. His joy is always set before us and it is not just some future reality, it's a present one. Joy is not a feeling. Joy is the deep assurance and presence of God Himself. Through it He sustains us on the journey and assures us of all the beauty of eternity that awaits us in all of its fullness. It's so easy to become distracted and distanced from His joy. Satan specializes in making it so for us. He wants us to look at what is going on all around us, at his handiwork. Christ calls us to look past it, at Himself, at who He is, what He does, and where we're going. This is how we live in the joy of the Lord. We abide, we press on, we overcome, we endure. We know this life is not all there is. We know we will have all the fullness of His promises realized in part today, and in all their wonder on that day. When we're looking at everything but Him, we're living outside of His joy, peace, and strength. When we abide in Him, we overcome, because He is living through us. We become, as Scripture promises, more than conquerors. Today, may we abide. May we fix our eyes on Jesus, who has conquered all that could ever come against us, including death. He's already in the throne room of the Father. That's His place. Our place is in Him, which means we are there as well. Let us live out that truth and reality....for the joy set before us. Blessings, Pastor O

Given Over

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. Romans 1:28 If you're 40 or older, perhaps even 30 or older, you likely have heard it said and even say so yourself, that the world has gone insane. We're seeing things in our nation and in the world that would have been unthinkable just 20 years ago. How did it get to be so? What is the church's response? What is yours and what is mine? In Romans 1, Paul the apostle points out what the problem is; the sinfulness of the human race. The choice of most to rebel against God and worship themselves rather than Him, despite His constant reaching out through His grace to bring them to Himself. This has caused Him throughout history at key times, to turn the cultures and nations over to a "depraved," that is, fallen mind. In short He let them have their way, and let them reap the awful consequences of doing so. Believe it or not, He didn't and doesn't do so from a desire to destroy but to draw them back to Himself. Oftentimes, most times, it's the only way to open their eyes to their need and condition. I believe we are in such a time right now. I believe that the Father has turned our nation, all nations, over to such a mind and condition. Instead of bewailing how awful things are, I believe He is calling His church to seek His face in brokenness, and to intercede for a people intent on destroying themselves....and who have no idea that they are. I can't remember who said it, but I have it in my prayer journal that when the darkness grows ever greater, the problem is not with the darkness, it's with the Light. We, who are to be His Light to the world, have not been so. In too many ways we've sought to accommodate the world spirit rather than see it crushed. We've wanted to be liked and accepted. We've resisted speaking and preaching about sin, holiness, and yes, hell. We invite people to Jesus Christ, but too often, it's a Christ who bears little resemblance to the Jesus Christ of Scripture. As a result, the darkness has grown, and the rebellion of humankind has grown with it. Hatred has grown in every segment of society, but against the authority and message of Jesus Christ most of all. That's seen in the response of telling people that not only is He the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life. Rebellion is the way of the world right now, and we're seeing it everywhere. So again, how do we respond? I believe there is no answer but to humble ourselves before Him. For us to repent of our own sin, to seek His cleansing of it. All of it. Then, for us to, in holy love, intercede for this lost human race. That He would pour out His grace and His Spirit upon His church and then through His church, minister to a lost world. That we would cry out for a move of His Spirit that crushes the darkness and shines His Light wherever the darkness has reigned. To pray without ceasing until He comes with power, which is the only way He ever comes. We talk much of how God will judge all that we see. We forget that His Word says that judgement begins (always) in and with the House of God....the Church. May we not just rail against the darkness. May we come against it in Holy Spirit Light and power. And.....may we come against it first.....in our own hearts and lives. Blessings, Pastor O

Awakened

This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14 I came upon a news item this morning that I'm sure has gone unnoticed by the majority, even the majority of the professing church. Two villages in Nigeria were attacked by Islamic terrorists, with 168 killed and the villages burnt. I didn't know. You likely didn't either. Yet I do know about Bad Bunny and the half-time show at the Superbowl. I also know about the alternate show put on by Turning Point USA. I also know a lot about my favorite sports teams, entertainments, and a host of other subjects, but I didn't know anything about this. Oh, I know there is persecution of believers going on in Nigeria and so many other places in the world, but those places are so far away. The things that have my attention are much nearer, and come to mind so easily, but I wonder today, what impression do "these things," my things, make upon the heart of God? I know the answer to that, so why, when I know how these things grieve Him, do they not grieve me as they should? Could it be that the places that these terrible persecutions are taking place are so far away, and make so little impression upon me...and you, is because as concerns them, my heart is also far away from His? I'm thinking out loud here, and I don't care for the answers I'm getting to my questions. It's very hard for us American believers who are so focused on our comfort, happiness, and success, to be much moved by anything that doesn't contribute to maintaining and expanding that. More than 40 years ago, Jesus Revolution singer Keith Green wrote a song titled, Asleep In The Light. One of the lyrics asked (you and me?) How can you be so dead, when you've been so well-fed? Brethren, God is moving upon His church here in America and everywhere in the world, but how deeply is He moving upon you and me? Are we more asleep in the Light than we are empowered by it, awakened by it, called to action by it? Those 168 men, women, and children, were brothers and sisters in Christ, as were the thousands more who have been killed in Nigeria alone. How moved have we been by this? How fervent have our prayers of intercession for them been? I heard the late Derek Prince say that we can pray, fast, and come together pleading for revival, as many are, but that we will see no revival without the first and most important step, that of humbling ourselves in repentance before Him. In too many areas and ways, the western church has been sleepwalking. It cannot go on. It is time to be awakened by His Spirit. It is time, past time, to cease being "dead men and women walking." It is time for the Light of Christ to shine fully upon His church in America, for His church to "rise and walk." His time is always "now." May that now time take place in His church...in you, in me, in us. Blessings, Pastor O