Tag Archives: food

26 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM –THE POWER OF THE WORD

Christian Life, ,

26 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM –THE POWER OF THE WORD

It is fitting that we should conclude our studies on the powers of the kingdom, at least for a while, with a closer look at what the Bible has to say about itself. After all, if this book is not authentic, then everything we believe and live by is a lie, and we are all witnesses to something that is not and never has been true.

Every religion has an originator and sacred writings that claim to be the truth. What makes our faith unique? We claim to have a written record of what God has spoken that is infallible, indestructible, powerful, and eternal.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT

This is the witness of God’s Word about itself and the reason for people’s differing responses to this book.

The Bible is either loved and revered by those who believe it and are transformed by its truth or hated and feared by those who claim allegiance to other gods.

The story of the Bible is amazing. Despite every attempt to destroy this book, God has protected it to the extent that its words and influence have infiltrated the entire planet. Since it has been translated and disseminated across the globe in written and digital form, it would now be impossible to eradicate it from the earth.

During the most repressive of regimes, especially in China and Russia, the Word lived on and even single pages of the Bible have brought people to living faith in Jesus.

We call the Bible God’s Word. According to Hebrew scholars, the Word is a manifestation of God in another form. In other words, God has revealed Himself to us in written form, using the words that people can understand to explain what we need to know about Him in order to believe in Him.

The Bible contains words in three forms

  1. The LOGOS

In essence, the “logos” is everything God has  revealed in written form, that enables us to connect with Him.

  1. The RHEMA

Rhema is the Greek word for “word” which reflects the spoken word or utterance. The whole Bible is God’s “logos” but there are times when God speaks a specific “rhema” word to our situation or need. The Holy Spirit quickens the Word that is in us to give us light, or to provide wisdom or a weapon against the devil’s lies.

“But Jesus told him (Satan), “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word (rhema) that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4 NLT

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.  He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.  All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’ ” John 16:13-15 NLT

  1. JESUS, the living Word

God spoke words through His prophets in the Old Covenant, but His final word came in the form of a person, Jesus, who is the embodiment of everything God has revealed about Himself. Jesus is the living LOGOS, God’s final word.

“Long ago, God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3 NLT

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT ITSELF?

Apart from the many millions whose lives have been changed by reading the Bible, we have the witness of the Bible itself to its power to work in people’s lives, either to judge and condemn or to save and transform.

PROPHECY AUTHENTICATES THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE

Let’s start with prophecy because prophecy is God’s trump card that witnesses to the Bible’s authenticity.

Many so-called prophets, both in and outside the Bible, claim to speak for God. How do we know that what they say is the truth?

“I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying. If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds.” Jeremiah 23:21-22 NLT

False prophets tell people what they want to hear. True prophecy speaks the truth whether it is palatable to the hearer or not.

“Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 46:10 NLT

“Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You must die. Your life will end this very year because you have rebelled against the Lord .’” Two months later the prophet Hananiah died.” Jeremiah 28:15-17

Jesus is the final proof is the truth of Old Testament prophecy . Since everything that was prophesied about His first coming was fulfilled, we can safely believe that everything prophesied about His second coming will also be fulfilled.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.’ 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NIV

GOD’ S WORD IS PERFECT

“And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” Psalms 12:6 NIV

There is nothing we can add to or take from the Bible to make it a better revelation of God. If we do so, we only bring judgement on ourselves.

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” Revelation 22:18-19 NIV 

THE BIBLE IS SPIRIT-INSPIRED

“Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,  or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT

THE BIBLE IS FOOD FOR OUR SOULS

“And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:1-3 NIV  

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.  By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. “Psalms 19:7-11 NIV

THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE HAVE THE POWER TO EXPOSE THE HEART

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT

“Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord . “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord , “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:28-29 NIV

FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD

“So, faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17 NLT

WE ARE BORN AGAIN THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD

“For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 NLT

WE ARE WASHED BY THE WORD

3″You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” John 15:3

“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word…” Ephesians 5:25-26

THE BIBLE IS A MIRROR IN WHICH WE SEE OURSELVES

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22-25 NLT

ALL SCRIPTURE IS PROFITABLE

“You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” 2 Timothy 3:15-16 NLT 

GOD’S WORD GIVES US HOPE

Two promises that I cling to that I know God will keep

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Phil. 1:6 NLT 

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT

The Bible has so much to say about itself that we could go on discovering the treasures of God’s Word forever.

Since we can’t do this here, I would like to conclude this series with what the Master Himself has to say about His Word.

  1. God’s Word is truth

“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”John 17:17 NLT

  1. God’s Word is authoritative

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4 NIV

  1. Jesus’s words give life

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” John 6:63 NLT

  1. Jesus speaks God’s words

“I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.” John 12:49 NLT

  1. Jesus’ words are the standard of judgement

“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.” John 12:47-48 NIV

THE GLORY OF JESUS, GOD’S FINAL AND PERFECT WORD

“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3 NLT

“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-13 NLT

NO OTHER BOOK CAN CONFIDENTLY PROCLAIM A MESSAGE LIKE THIS ONE

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

“And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Revelation 5:9 NLT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

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

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BOOK OF ACTS – THE SAFEST PLACE

Christian Life, ,

THE SAFEST PLACE

“Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, ‘If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.’ So the soldiers cut the lines of the lifeboat and let it drift off.

With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: ‘This is the fourteenth day we’ve gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You’re going to come out of this without even a scratch.'” Acts 27:30-34 (The Message).

Amazing, isn’t it, how there are always the few who want to rock the boat! God’s reassurance, through Paul, that they would all survive this ordeal depended on them all staying together and working together. But there were the few who didn’t care about the others. They were only interested in saving their own skin.

They hatched a plot to launch the lifeboat and try to save themselves but Paul was quick to realise what was up, and took charge. Have you noticed how the authority on the ship changed? In this crisis the captain had done everything he could but nothing was working. Where was he at this stage? Paul took over as the one with the hotline to the throne of God.

First step: Make sure that everyone pulled together. He quickly nipped the splinter group’s plot in the bud. His sixth sense warned him that these men were up to something. By this time the centurion had complete confidence in Paul. He was not the usual sort of prisoner and his word carried authority. The soldiers ditched the lifeboat, cutting off any possibility of escape and forcing everyone to stand together and wait for instructions.

Second step: Breakfast! No one had eaten since the storm began. Fear and the frantic attempts to save the ship had taken their appetites away. Paul knew that they would not survive a swim in the raging sea without the reserves of strength from a good meal. Even the suggestion of food must have put new heart into everyone on board.

“He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily — two hundred and seventy-six of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.” Acts 27:35-38 (The Message).

Now they were ready for the next step. By this time the ship was just a shell — cargo, tackle and food gone. There could be no going back. In spite of the fact that their plight was the outcome of foolish decisions and poor judgement, God had not abandoned them. Paul was their lifeline — bringing the hope of salvation from a watery grave if they believed him and heeded his instructions.

How often we land in equally tight corners in life through our own stubbornness and bad decisions. We deserve to be left to find our own way out because we got ourselves into it, but we have a loving Father who is more interested in getting us out than in how we got there in the first place. Every sticky situation is God’s opportunity to reveal His love and His goodness. It’s not about us. It’s about Him.

Jesus showed us how this works. He used every human condition to put His Father’s glory on display. On one occasion He and His disciples met a blind man on the road. Their question to Him was: ‘Whose fault is it that this man was born blind?’ His reply startled them. ‘You’re asking the wrong question. Don’t look for someone to blame. Let’s see what God can do.’

Every crisis is God’s opportunity if we have the right attitude. Paul listened, followed and used his common sense to steer the entire complement of people on board the doomed ship to a safe conclusion. The captain had run out of options but Paul was in touch with a covenant God who promised always to be with him. He is the same God for us as He was for Paul and his companions.

Growing Up Is For Real

Bible Study, , , ,

GROWING UP IS FOR REAL

“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

“So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:20-23.

So there you have it! But, wait a minute. Doesn’t it put me into bondage to other people  if I have to consider their weak consciences before I can eat or drink, or do anything that another believer considers sin? It should work both ways. A weaker brother should not judge me if I am free from his scruples but, at the same time, I should not deliberately provoke him by flaunting my freedom in his face.

I have to ask. “Who has the great responsibility?” I have, because my freedom allows me to give away my rights for the sake of his soul. I will not suffer if I abstain from what bothers him when I am in his presence, whereas he will suffer if I refuse to abstain because I am free. If I cause my brother to fall because of my stubborn attitude, I will bear the guilt of turning him away from Christ because I did not love him enough to forgo my right for his sake.

“Blessed,” said Paul, “is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” Blessed (“asher” in Hebrew) implies the Father’s pleasure that comes from making the right choice and doing the right thing because the Father approves of the attitude that considers another above oneself. There is no bondage in that as long as I have the right attitude. There is no place for resentment in my heart as long as I remember that it is Jesus, my Master, whom I serve when I serve others.

This leads Paul to another blanket statement that is a principle of life in God’s kingdom. Life in the kingdom of God is a walk of faith and is governed and directed by our confidence in what God has said. God’s goal for every believer is freedom from everything that hinders our faith in His word and our obedience to Him which sets us apart as followers of Jesus.

We have many slave-drivers – behaviour patterns, habits, addictions, ways of coping,   emotions, all of which interfere with the freedom Jesus bought for us so that we can walk with Him unhindered by these things. We gain our freedom, one step at a time as we learn the truth and submit to it by faith, replacing the things we believe in and do that keep us in bondage with God’s word. Paul called it “renewing our minds” (Romans 12:3).

We are set free when we believe and act upon what Jesus has said.

“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31, 32.

Since it is a journey, it happens gradually, not all at once. However, the operative word is faith. To the Jew, to believe something intellectually but not to act on it was a meaningless exercise. Paul said, “If you believe something to be true, even if you are wrong, but do not act on it, is sin.”

We have to trust God enough for ourselves and for our fellow believers that we allow them to walk their own path with the Lord, just as we walk ours. God will reveal truth to us and to them as and when we are able to receive it, remembering that none of us has perfect knowledge of the truth. This is the beauty of our journey – that it is a journey of discovery and a journey from bondage to freedom and God is more interested in the outcome than in the process.

Our task, if we consider ourselves mature believers, is to protect love, preserve unity and promote contentment more than it is to demand our rights. And this is really growing up into Christ because He is passionate about unity.

Acknowledgement

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

 

Food And Water For The Soul

Bible Study, , ,

FOOD AND WATER FOR THE SOUL 

“Just then His disciples returned and were surprised to see Him talking with a woman. But no one asked, ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you talking with her?’

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’

“Meanwhile His disciples urged Him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’

“But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’ Then His disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought Him food?’ ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.'” John 4:27-34 (NIV).

Samaritan or Jew, there was a startling similarity between the woman and the disciples. They lived in the environment of the natural and viewed life from the same perspective.

When Jesus began to talk to the woman about living water, she didn’t get it because she thought no further than water for her body. When He told His disciples that He had food to eat that they did not know about, they didn’t get it either because they thought He meant food for His body.

Jesus was so excited about the outcome of His conversation with the woman that it sustained and strengthened Him more than food. To do His Father’s will was what nourished His spirit and kept Him going. On one occasion, when He was criticized by the Pharisees for eating with the riff-raff, He told them that He had come to seek and save the lost, not those who thought they didn’t need saving.

When the woman arrived at the well, she was a lost soul. She had left the path that would take her to the Father, ignored the landmarks of His Word that would keep her on track and wandered in the wilderness of sin, alone and afraid. Jesus showed her the way back and she gladly responded.

She rushed back to the town, her burden of guilt and shame gone, to share the good news with the townspeople from whom she had escaped only a short while before by going to draw water in the heat of the day. ‘I think I have found the Messiah. Come and check it out for yourselves.’ Why was she so sure that the man at the well was the Messiah? How did He know such intimate details about her without divine revelation?

Not only that but His disclosure of her sinful life brought her release from guilt, not condemnation. She felt light and clean as she hurried back to share her joy with the people who despised her. Now that’s a transformation! Again it’s this inward thing that mere religion cannot produce; freedom from guilt and an inner peace that was evidence that God had no issues with her. She was forgiven and she had the witness in her spirit that she was clean and new inside.

No one can explain what happens when a person believes in Jesus. There is a supernatural transaction that takes place in the inner being. All guilt is removed, shame and fear go, and are replaced with an inexplicable peace. This is the result of something that takes place in the mind.

Until that moment the woman did not know that God loved her and had provided forgiveness and cleansing from her sin. She believed that she was worthless and the belief produced her feelings of guilt, shame and fear. When the truth dawned on her that she was beloved and that the Father wanted her to worship Him, the lie was gone and with it her destructive emotions, and in their place she experienced God’s peace.

To see a person set free from condemnation and reconciled to the Father who loved her was much better than a delicious meal, no matter how hungry Jesus might have been. Did He ever get His drink of water? We will never know! His thirst might not have been quenched at that moment but He had satisfied a far deeper thirst with the water that became a perennial spring in her soul.

Are you still thirsty? Jesus has water for you that will satisfy you forever.

Carefree In The Care Of God

Christian Life, , ,

CAREFREE IN THE CARE OF GOD

“He continued the subject with His disciples. ‘Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.'” Luke 12:22-24 (The Message).

How desperately this reassurance from Jesus is needed today. Our faith has become wobbly in today’s economic climate. Many of us are feeling the squeeze of unemployment, inflation, and an uncertain world economy. We anxiously watch the fluctuations in the stock market and wonder how long our assets will last. More and more people are joining the lines of the homeless who depend on charities to survive. Do Jesus’ words still apply in these circumstances?

A resounding “Yes!” but the secret is to tap into God’s resources via His economic system. This is where we often come unstuck. When our stockpile begins to dwindle, we hang on to our money instead of keeping it circulating. The excuse is, ‘I can’t afford to give.’ Wrong! Jesus says, ‘You can’t afford not to give.’ The only way to keep the circulation of resources going is to keep on giving.

There is a law in God’s system like the law of gravity. When we respect and stay in line with gravity, we are okay. When we try to defy it, we are in serious trouble. In God’s system, everything begins with a seed; plants, trees, people, faith, even new life in Jesus, all begin with the appropriate seed. So it is with God’s supply. The Apostle Paul spoke about this in the context of giving.

“Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:6, 7 (NIV).

Asking God to meet our needs has its place as we learn from the Lord’s Prayer, but tapping into God’s supply according to His instruction has already been guaranteed by His promise, ‘But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Matthew 6:33 (NIV).

A far more serious reason for mistrusting God when the squeeze is on is one of identity. We don’t really understand how real our relationship with God is. We have been adopted into God’s family through Jesus. ‘In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…’ Ephesians 1:5 (NIV).

Our being the sons of God underlies everything He does for us. He treats us just as He treated Jesus. He loves us just as He loved Jesus. He cares for us just as He cared for Jesus. He listens to us just as He listened to Jesus. In His eyes we are on a par with Jesus. Jesus is His Son and so are we. There is no difference. That doesn’t mean that we are God but it does mean that we are His sons and daughters.

“‘Therefore come out from among them,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18 (NIV).

This should make all the difference in the world to the way we respond to God’s Word. Everything He does in and through us is because we are His sons and daughters. We can trust Him because Daddy will never lie to us.