Monthly Archives: December 2015

Talk About Power!

Bible Study, , ,

TALK ABOUT POWER!

I pray also that the eyes if your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1: 18-19).

Once again we must remember the background of these Ephesian believers. Many of them had come out of witchcraft. After their conversion, they had made a huge bonfire of their witchcraft paraphernalia in the city. Their lives had been invaded by the power of God, the God of pure love. From then on, they could no longer have a part of anything that misused other people.

Why do people dabble in witchcraft? Why do some even sell their souls to the devil? He promises them power! But the only power the devil can give is power to control and power to destroy. It is evil power because it affects the lives of other for the worse. The next problem with demonic power is that it diminishes the person who uses it. Every time one person brings harm to another, he is diminished and dehumanised.

These ex-witches and wizards burned their past when they burned the tools of their sorcery, to tell the world and the devil that they had finished with that life. They were now under a new Master, one who also had power, a different kind of power of which they had never dreamed. Perhaps at that point of their new-found faith, they did not know the magnitude of the power that resided in them.

What did they need? Enlightenment. Understanding. Knowledge. Up this point in their lives, they had been fed and had believed lies. Since the early history of man, a false religion had grown up around Nimrod, great-grandson of Noah, and his evil wife Semiramis and her illegitimate son, Tammuz. Through a series of fabricated stories that Semiramis spawned, she had deified Nimrod as the sun-god, Baal, and she became the moon-goddess, known as Ashtaroth, or Astarte (Diana), or by other names in many parts of the ancient world.

Behind these false stories, the father of lies was garnering worship for himself under a variety a nom de plumes, which was exactly what he craved, even if he had to do it by deceit. Paul came to Ephesus with a blistering message of the truth. Satan, alias Caesar, alias Baal or any other name behind which he hid, was not Lord. Jesus was Lord and He proved it by His resurrection. Satan, through the evil religious leaders in Israel, tried to destroy Him but, instead, his plan backfired and Jesus destroyed him.

Those who were held captive to the devil and were enslaved to live in wickedness were now free to escape the devil’s clutches. Jesus had rescued them from their hell, forgiven their sin, power-washed them clean by His blood and relocated them to the kingdom of God where they had always belonged. Satan was the squatter, the hijacker and the felon who had usurped God’s position on His earth. Paul said, “If you want to know real power, that’s power.”

Many of us have seen effects of the raw power of nature. Fire, wind, water, earthquakes, rip through a region and leave utter devastation in their wake. But have you even noticed the power of a seed. I have seen buildings split open by the force of a growing seed. That’s power! Power does not only destroy. God’s power is able to restore, renew and recreate. He can heal broken hearts, broken people, and broken relationships. He can give people whom the devil has destroyed, a fresh start. Jesus said that it’s like being “born again”.

Paul wanted these people, who had only known destruction in their lives, to experience that kind of power. He prayed that they would have their spiritual eyes opened to the truth of what had happened to them. God had removed the cloud of doom that hung over them, and the deep-seated fear of death which was the legacy of those who gave allegiance to the devil. He had replaced it with hope, the unseen end product of what He had done for them through Jesus.

Their faith in Jesus had cancelled fear. They were safe in God’s kingdom – under His authority and protection from the one who had now become their arch-enemy. Jesus had bought them back from slavery. They were legitimately His. They now belonged to God, body, soul and spirit, and He had the power to keep them from wandering back into enemy territory as long as they kept their eyes on Him.

But the power of God didn’t end there. He had put a power source in them that had created the universe. Take that, devil! Satan is not a creator; he can only counterfeit what God has created. Even the people who worship him do not belong to him. He stole them and put his mark on them, the mark of rebellion in their hearts. God put His plan right back on track by rescuing the ones the devil had kidnapped, cleaned out all the evidence of his ownership and replaced them with His Spirit, His guarantee of ownership.

What power is there in the universe greater than the power of the Holy Spirit? His power is recreating, regenerating, restoring, and renewing power. “That’s the power of God I want you to know,” said Paul. God alone can give you understanding and experience of His power that is able to set aspects of your life right that went horribly wrong when Adam rebelled against God – your relationship with God, and your relationship with people. When these two areas of your life are back on track, everything in your life will come back into focus.

God’s power does something amazing inside of you. He enables you to take control of yourself. That’s it! When you have your own heart in check, through the power of the Holy Spirit in you, your world will turn right side up. It’s part of the fruit of the Spirit and it’s called, “self-control”!

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?

 

The Prayer Of Power

Bible Study, , ,

THE PRAYER OF POWER

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better (Eph. 1: 15-17).

Much is spoken and written about the power of prayer, but what about the prayer of power? Paul knew how to pray the prayer of power.

If you were in his shoes, what would you have prayed for these infant Ephesian believers? They had been steeped in superstition, witchcraft and idolatry. They had believed and faithfully adhered to the myths and legends surrounding their beloved Diana and worshipped her with the fervour of religious devotees.

Suddenly, their world was transformed. When they heard the message of Jesus, which was no myth but the truth, based on historical fact. His life and death had happened within their lifetime, and they embraced the message willingly. But what were they to do with the religious “junk” that had filled their minds from birth?

It was a wonder to Paul that they had believed his message and turned away from their belief in idols and their horrible lifestyle, to worship God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He could not stop thanking God for the miracle. Wouldn’t you? But how would they stand up to the pressure of the Roman government? They were the targets of terrible cruelty because they refused to acknowledge Caesar as Lord. How could they, not even to save their lives, because they had confessed Jesus as Lord.

Paul could have pleaded with God to protect them from their persecutors, to keep them safe and to “be with them” wherever they were. These are familiar words, aren’t they? We have prayed prayers like this for our friends and family, haven’t we? How powerful is this kind of prayer? The Apostle John wrote:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him (1 John 5: 14-15).

In their circumstances, what do you think God’s will for them would be? To save them from being persecuted? If that were so, why were so many of them put to death, and by cruel, horrible torture?

Why did He not stop the persecution and deal with the bloodthirsty Nero who ordered it? Is it not possible that God had a plan, even when man’s plan was to exterminate the believers? A quote from one of the church fathers confirms that persecution did not get rid of the problem but fuelled the flames of evangelism and faith.

The 2nd-century Church Father Tertullian wrote that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church,” implying that the martyrs’ willing sacrifice of their lives leads to the conversion of others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_martyrs – retrieved December 2015.

The prayer of power does not focus on the comfort or safety of the ones for who we pray. It centres on God and what He desires through the trials we endure. What does He want for His people? Jesus summed up the Father’s desire in His high priestly prayer recorded in John 17.

Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17: 3).

Do you think God would answer a prayer like that? Of course, He would because He wants us to know Him and His Son, Jesus. He longs for us to experience Him, His love and His mercy, in the fullest way possible. We can only know Him when we open our hearts to Him and allow Him to reveal Himself to us in and through the circumstances of our daily lives.

Unfortunately, we interpret God through our circumstances and end up accusing Him of not loving us, of being indifferent or even punishing us for something we may have said or done. He wants us to understand our circumstances through Him and to respond in faith in Him not matter what happens because He has promised that He will make everything that happens to us work for our good.

When we really know God, when we are willing to trust Him when everything seems dark, when we are convinced that He loves us, no matter what happens, then the trials we face can never destroy us because He has promised that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?

Our Engagement Ring

Bible Study, , , ,

OUR ENGAGEMENT RING

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1: 13-15).

What a doxology! What a triumphant declaration!

You also were included . . . Who were included? The ex-pagans who had indulged in every kind of lewd and disgusting behaviour in honour of their filthy idols, but who were now called “holy and faithful”. How could God call a bunch like that “holy”? Set apart from sin to God?

Paul had every reason to call them holy, just as he could call himself holy. He had been just as guilty of being alienated from God through sin as they were. His sin was much more subtle than theirs. He had practised a self-made “holiness” which included hounding to death the followers of Jesus because he believed that he was right and they were wrong.

What is the difference between worshipping an idol by indulging in sexual orgies and worshipping God by killing those who don’t believe what you believe, and then keeping all the rules except “you shall not kill”? As far as Paul was concerned, on the authority of God’s Word, sin was sin, no matter how it showed itself, but the blood of Jesus had the power to wash all sin away – all who trusted Jesus were forgiven, power-washed and holy.

When God stepped in to deal with sin, He not only forgave every transgression of His law through the death of His Son, He also wiped the record so clean that their past had ceased to exist. They were brand new people. They had started all over again, this time as part of the body of Jesus Christ, sons and daughters of God and members of His family.

Their new status gave them access to another privilege never before given to Gentiles – the “engagement ring” – in Greek, the arabon – the Holy Spirit. Amazing that Paul called His presence in the believer a “mark”! Where have we seen that word before in the Bible? The beast, in Revelation, also gives his worshippers a mark. What can his mark be?

God’s Spirit in the believer is His guarantee that we belong to Him, that He will preserve us through every trial and that He will take possession of us as His bride when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth. Think about that!  And all we have to do is to bow to Jesus as Lord.

We are no longer slaves but sons. Slaves have no name, no home and no inheritance. They can be sold at any time without a qualm and without protest. They belong body and soul to their owner and he can treat them as he pleases. We were once slaves to the devil – slaves through rebellion against God, and through fear. But Jesus bought us back by shedding His blood for us. Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared their humanity so that, by His death, He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15).

We are no longer slaves but sons and God has given us The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of sonship. He gave us the name by which we can are known. We are children of the Father. We have the right to call God “Father”.

For you did not receive a Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him, we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8: 15-16).

Since we are God’s children, we also have a home and an inheritance. Our dwelling place is in Jesus, and we shall be forever with Him when He comes to claim His bride.

We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5: 8).

What is our inheritance?

The writer to the Hebrews tells us that, through faith and patience, we inherit God’s promises (Heb. 6: 12). Read what Peter said:

. . . He has given us His very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Pet. 1: 4).

God has given us an inheritance, His divine nature, which we make our own through His promises.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so, through Him, the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Cor. 1: 20).

Do you get it, my friends? We have the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit within us, guaranteeing that we belong to God, giving us the right and power to call God “Father” and working in us the reproduce the nature of God as we rely on His promises.

And it’s all about Him!

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,  eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?

Chosen And Predestined

Bible Study, , ,

CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory (Eph. 1: 11-12).

Do you remember how you used to pick petals off a daisy? “He loves me, he loves me not,” you would say as you tossed each petal aside, hoping fervently that the last one would be ”He loves me!”

Some people think that God treats people like that. He sits in heaven, sorting people out, muttering, “One for heaven, one for hell,” while the angels look on. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple or as unlikely as that.

“Predestination” has puzzled and divided people into two theological camps since the days when Paul wrote his letters. One group adamantly champions the theological persuasion called “Calvinism” because John Calvin was the first to flesh out Paul’s teaching into a full-blown theological treatise.

“The five points of Calvinism can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. T stands for total depravity, U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints . . . http://www.gotquestions.org/calvinism.html – retrieved December 2015.

Calvin’s teaching highlights the sovereignty of God. Let’s talk about the L and I in TULIP.

“Limited Atonement – Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God’s unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect alone. All whom God has elected and for whom Christ died will be saved (Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; 17:9; Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 5:25).


“Irresistible Grace – Those whom God elected He draws to Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds (John 6:37, 44; 10:16) . . .

“While all these doctrines have a biblical basis, many people reject all or some of them. So-called “four-point Calvinists” accept Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints as biblical doctrines. Man is definitely sinful and incapable of believing in God on his own. God elects people based on His will alone – election is not based on any merit in the person chosen. All those whom God has chosen will come to faith. All those who are truly born-again will persevere in their faith. As for Limited Atonement, however, four-point Calvinists believe that atonement is unlimited, arguing that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just for the sins of the elect . . .”

http://www.gotquestions.org/calvinism.html – retrieved December 2015.

Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560-1609, argued vigorously for the freedom of man to choose to believe in Jesus or not. While Calvin championed the sovereignty of God, Arminius stood for human responsibility.

“In general, Arminians believe there is an “intermediate” state between total depravity and salvation. In this state, made possible by prevenient grace, the sinner is being drawn to Christ and has the God-given ability to choose salvation . . .

“Calvinism sees the atonement as limited, while Arminianism sees it as unlimited. This is the most controversial of the five points. Limited atonement is the belief that Jesus only died for the elect. Unlimited atonement is the belief that Jesus died for all, but that His death is not effectual until a person receives Him by faith . . .

“So, in the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate, who is correct? It is interesting to note that in the diversity of the body of Christ, there are all sorts of mixtures of Calvinism and Arminianism . . .  Many believers arrive at some sort of mixture of the two views. Ultimately, it is our view that both systems fail in that they attempt to explain the unexplainable. Human beings are incapable of fully grasping a concept such as this. Yes, God is absolutely sovereign and knows all. Yes, human beings are called to make a genuine decision to place faith in Christ unto salvation. These two facts seem contradictory to us, but in the mind of God they make perfect sense.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/Calvinism-vs-Arminianism.html – retrieved December 2105.

However, we must not lose sight of the fact that Paul was not so much presenting a doctrine as a reason to worship God for His grace and mercy to them. Against the background of the evils that went in in the city of Ephesus, he worshipped God for wonders of the grace mercy He had revealed to His readers who were part of those whom God has chosen to be His family of blessed people. He has done everything in Christ “to the praise of His glory.”

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

Bible Study, , ,

HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ (Eph. 1: 7-10).

Let’s step back for a moment. Did Jesus die to forgive our sins? Yes! Did Jesus die so that we can go to heaven? For the moment, let’s say, “Yes”. But the story is much bigger than being about us. God’s plan is all-encompassing. It includes the entire universe, not just humans.

Before He created the first man, God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Although the “image” of God includes those attributes that we share with Him, attributes such as love, self-consciousness and free will, being created in His image includes much more than these. God wanted a species that could have fellowship with Him and be one with Him, just as the members of the Godhead are one in their love, their mutual submission and their purpose for creation.

Adam and Eve enjoyed oneness with God until they fell for the devil’s deception and declared independence from Him. Their rebellion incurred a huge, unpayable debt which alienated them from Him, making fellowship and unity impossible. They had become His enemies. Had they even wanted to be reconciled to Him, they could not, because of the barrier of unpaid debt that stood between Him and them.

But God’s plan was already in place before He formed the first man. Adam’s rebellion did not catch the all-knowing God unawares. Just as He chose us in Christ “before the creation of the world”, so also His Son was “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world (Rev. 13: 8).”  

From God’s perspective, the forgiveness of sins was not the be-all and end-all of salvation. It was a part of His plan to restore all things to their perfection and purpose when He created the universe. The sin of the human race stood in the way of completing what He had begun. There was only one way to remove it – a man who was without sin had to pay the price for the whole human race.

God revealed the enormity of His mercy by sending His own Son, in the likeness of man, to die as a substitute for humanity. Jesus came into a polluted and corrupt world and lived among people who were contaminated by sin. He refused to act independently of the Father in spite of the devil’s vicious campaign to get Him to declare independence from God. He submitted to the Father up to the moment of His death, committing His spirit to the Father with His final breath.

God was satisfied with Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death. He raised Him from the dead because there was nothing to hold Him in the grave. Jesus paid the debt; He unmasked and defeated the devil, proving once for all that He, not Satan, is Lord. The barrier of sin between God and man was finally demolished. There was nothing left to stand in the way of God’s purpose to bring everything in heaven and on earth together in unity under the authority and power of His Son.

God revealed to the world and to the devil who had tried to usurp Jesus’ position and authority as Lord that, through His Son, His plan was back on track.

All those who believe the truth that Jesus is Lord, receive the benefits of His death and resurrection – the forgiveness of sins and reinstatement as God’s sons and daughters in His family. God gives them the supreme gift of the Holy Spirit – the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead – whom He called, “the Spirit of adoption” or “the Spirit of sonship” (Rom. 8: 14-16).

That’s what it’s all about, dear readers. God’s original plan was to have a family of sons and daughters, created in the image of His Son, who are one with Him and who live together in obedience to Him and in harmony with one another. For what purpose? To put His glory on display for Satan and his rebel hoards to see, once for all, that God is love.

Satan challenged the love of God in the Garden of Eden. Adam fell for his deception. He chose to believe the devil’s lie and not trust the Father’s love. Jesus, the perfect image of the Father with a face, came in person to put the record straight by His sinless life and sacrificial death in obedience to the Father.

You can believe Him now, dear reader. God IS love. He did it all to reveal just how great His love really is!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3: 1a).

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?