Are You a Preacher?

So this morning a fellow-laborer asked me if I was a preacher. Without hesitation I answered, "Yes. Yes, I am. I had a problem originally, being a woman, but God said . . ."

He nodded, smiling, "That explains a lot."

Two years ago my answer would have been, "No, I just repeat what He tells me." Today, it's emphatically, "Yes!"

Not only am I comfortable with that title these days, but I am also quite comfortable teaching,  preaching, and ministering as one in that position. I get up each day asking the Lord to lead me in being the witness He would have me be -- reaching out to those I encounter as the Spirit wills. Now this has led to a wide variety of opportunities to His glory, and constant amazement on my behalf as He proves over and over again just how able He is to work with the truly willing. I, literally, just show up expecting Him to be Himself, and He never disappoints. It's one of those things I think far too many just do not "get" today -- that the God of the Bible truly is the exceedingly great "I AM". 

We have so many false or pseudo heroes today. We have comic book supermen and women. We have imagined rescuers, fanciful enemies, and mythical wars. Some are so caught up in these superfluous worlds that they fail to realize we have very real extraordinary warriors, diabolical villains, and world-shattering wars around us all the time.

Seriously. At any given time there are angels -- of varying sizes and positions -- listening for faith to come out of our mouths. There are demons -- also of varying sizes and positions -- desperately trying to make us stumble or fall. And there are very real wars going on between those forces for the souls of men. The godly angels make our imaginary heroes look like children at play, and the demonic side make our villains appear childishly inept. It's hard not to wonder if the imaginations of man aren't just a little bit tainted by the reality that can only be seen spiritually.

Above it all God sits enthroned in Heaven. The Bible says we are like "grasshoppers" before Him (Isa 40:22). Yet, He waits, that He might show us compassion (Isa 30:18) We are insignificant puffs of dust in His hands, but He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to suffer and die, even to be humiliated, that we might be saved.

So, yes, I am a preacher, because the Great God of Heaven loved me so much that I am truly nothing if I fail to love Him back by taking the truth of His word to those who will hear it. How else are they to know? If no one shall take His word to them, how else are they to be saved? How else shall I glorify Him? I tell you the truth:  If I am silent, then I make a mockery of the sacrifice of His Son, my LORD.

Two years ago I would have fumbled my words, not knowing how to respond. I would have been uncomfortable with making such bold statements. Today I stand on the street and preach as loud and clearly as I possibly can -- without shame, without fear, without hesitation, and I am very much aware that the demons and principalities tremble when I do. What a difference a couple of years make.

Finding Peace With God

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

One of the jobs given to parents is to raise honest, responsible, moral children. We don't do this for our own good, but for theirs. We know that honesty pays off. We know that responsibility will serve them well, and good morals will keep them from disastrous choices. God's rules are much the same. They were given to keep us from bad choices, destructive lifestyles, and an eternity of torment.

Today many try to edit God's word so that their choices do not appear bad. Much like disobedient children, they attempt to subvert the rules to have their way. A good parent will never allow their child to get away with such disrespect, and neither will God. Most parents know when their child has broken the rules. God always does.

It is out of love that parents discipline their children, and love that God expresses His displeasure. With earthly parents children may manage to get by with some things, but with God nothing eludes His attention. The difference here is that earthly parents have been disobedient themselves. So, we can relate to the desire to do what we should not. 

With God, He not only sacrificed His only Son to pay for our sins, but He cannot co-habitate with sin.  This makes disobedience or sin a far more serious infraction to Him. Just as earthly parents enjoy being with their children, He longs to have a relationship with us. If we are in sin, that cannot be. His holiness will not allow it.

Despite what some say the God of the Bible is intensely interested and concerned with the lives of His creation. 

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. -- Isa 30:18

The magnificent Creator of all that is literally gets up to see to His creation. Like our earthly parents, He is genuinely concerned for those who seek Him. But also, like our earthly parents, He requires submission and obedience to His rules. If we are to have peace with Him, that is what we must do -- regard Him as the Father He is, with respect and obedience.

Therefore, gird your minds for action; keep sober in spirit, fix  your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of  Yeshua the Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." -- 1 Pet 1:13-16

This Convenient Gospel

Last week I journeyed once to the nearby abortuary to plead for the lives of helpless little children. While there I encountered a man who began to viciously berate and abuse me. His language was foul, his demeanor threatening. Yet, he would stop every so often as if to invite me up to speak to him, implying he both needed and wanted assistance.

Supposedly his child died in the womb and they had come to have it removed. I say supposedly because mothers and fathers routinely lie about what motivates them to an abortuary. We know this because many have confessed to lying after experiencing a change of heart. Nonetheless, upon hearing of the man’s misfortune I offered my heartfelt sympathy and explained that we were still obligated to God to speak up for the children being slaughtered. At which point, I also offered him a beautiful blanket for his child’s burial as a token of our regard for his loss.

His primary argument was that we absolutely had no right, and that no one – no matter how needy -- who came to an abortuary deserved to be helped anyway. At which point, I began to explain that our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross obligated us to love our brothers and sisters enough to be there in His stead. Further, I explained that we truly loved him, too, and were deeply sorry for his loss.

After considering all this, he suddenly confided that he, too, was a Christian, and it was his Christianity that caused him to be absolutely humiliated by our efforts. Then he began to threaten me, saying that if we (clearly meaning me) did not cease, he would file a complaint against me and see me arrested. Understand, all this occurred while he cursed and abused me verbally with his every breath.

Now, I ask you. Where do these “Christians” come from who believe such behavior is either pleasing to God or acceptable to Him? The sad thing is that many do come from a church environment – one that is so open to whatever feels right that all these things are considered appropriate.

Clearly, the man was hurting. He had lost his child and was deeply wounded by that loss. If he were a singular example, we might even say that his sorrow just went too deep. Unfortunately, this is not so. For every week we see many enter the abortuary with the sign of the cross, the sign of the fish, a Bible on the dashboard, or a Christian bumper sticker on the back! These men and women flash vulgar signs at us, curse us vehemently, threaten us . . . even aim their vehicles at us.

I would have put my arms around this man and wept with him, but he would have preferred to see me in chains. I would have prayed with him for healing and deliverance. Yes, I prayed for him anyway, but he did not get to feel that compassion nor experience that motherly embrace. He was too angry, too blind, and far too uneducated in the ways of God.

Christianity is not just a word. It is a conversion that affects us completely. I saw no such evidence in this poor man. In fact, before he finished his tirade, he had soundly cursed even the Lord. Nor do we see evidence of the Lord in those who come with their tokens of Christianity; but rather, we see the love of self – the love of convenience – the love of the lie.

It is inconvenient for me to go to plead for the lives of the children. It is hard to make the blankets I give away. It is heartbreaking to know that the children are being slaughtered as we stand outside pleading with their parents. But Christianity – true Christianity is not convenient. It requires sacrifice from us. It required the ultimate sacrifice from Him. Why now do so many think themselves so much better that they should not be inconvenienced even in the slightest? I tell you the truth, it is because so many have not been transformed – that is to say, they are only Christian in their minds, because their deeds speak clearly of an allegiance that is decidedly not heavenly.

God’s peace,

Let Us Not Stand Silently By

Dear Professing Christian,

If you're not deeply insulted and repulsed by the effort to silence or marginalize Christianity, then you should seriously consider whether or not you have anything of substance to lose. Because we were not purchased by the blood of Baptists nor Methodists nor Catholics nor any other denomination under the sun, but by the pure and holy blood of the Son of the great I AM -- the same Son who was with the Father at the beginning of creation and now sits at His right hand in Heaven. So, while it may be considered acceptable to ignore so great a sacrifice when made by a mere sinful man, it must be held entirely reprehensible to ignore the sacrifice of One so completely holy and Supreme -- if indeed we are, as we claim, purchased by that blood.

For such is this salvation -- if we are in Him as His children, then He is everything to us. The desire to please, to serve, to glorify Him permeates every part of our life. To expect us to be silent is akin to asking us to cease to breathe or take nourishment. Our hearts yearn to share Him with others, our minds are filled with His words, and our souls overflow with His love. To disregard His sacrifice as though it mattered not is profoundly reprehensible – unthinkable even, because He is our holy and most worthy Lord. Whether profitable by the standards of man or not; we must speak of His righteousness, His mercy, and the eternal wealth of belonging to Him.

Consider rightly then to whom you align yourself. If man, then silence is acceptable. But if God, would not that same silence be both highly offensive and unacceptable to Him?

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely? – James 4:4-5

The simple truth is that our God, the great Creator of the Bible, is a jealous God. When we prefer man’s approval more than His, we literally say to Him we value man more than Him. Further, the idea that we should “keep the peace” is contrary to the will of the God we claim to serve. We are not here to “play nice” with others. We are here to fight for the souls of our neighbors, our relatives, and even those strangers we meet in our everyday lives. That is what it is to be truly Christian, to contend for the faith. Consider how the disciples lived. Did they not contend for the faith as though salvation was all that mattered, giving even their very lives to reconcile us to Him? Therefore if being silenced in regards to the things of Him does not offend us to our very core, then we need to recognize that our core must – by the examples set before us -- not be fully His.

In closing, to stand by while the truth of the cross is silenced, marginalized, belittled, maligned, and/or compromised; is to say that we regard Him not and, having said that, that we are indeed not nearly as committed to Him as we profess – for salvation does not lie in the mere professing of belief – even the demons believe (James 2:19); but rather, in the transformation of our sinful natures by the Spirit of God within us (Romans 12:1-3).

God’s peace.

The Big Picture

When we read the Bible as a book, take it as a whole, we can see that its message is cohesive. It is brilliantly tied together. From Genesis to Revelation, God, and His nature, is revealed. He tells us emphatically what He will tolerate and what is offensive to Him. He gives us multiple examples of both His abiding love and His unwavering holiness, and He tells us His intent is to motivate us to the obedience of faith.

I know that many like to focus on one Scripture, taking it apart, and expounding on its individual meaning. However, there is a danger in separating out Scripture from its context, and from the whole. People make serious mistakes by that practice, because Scripture was meant to taken together, to be looked at and understood as the pieces of a larger puzzle.

Now, God did this on purpose. He wanted us to study to know Him, to seek Him with diligence. He also wanted to keep those who were not earnest from knowing or understanding. Interpreting His word was never meant to be easy. It was meant to be work, taking both effort and dedicated submission. When we are more dedicated to forming God’s word to suit our desires than understanding what He is saying to us, we may sound like we know what we are saying; but we are more like clanging cymbals – keeping those who would know from knowing by our own arrogance and pride.

When the Lord called me, He taught me. He showed me the “big picture”. I have shared pieces of it, thinking the overall message too much for those whose ears have been deafened by those clanging cymbals. Here I’m going to share that big picture. I encourage you to look at the whole. These are not conflicting Scriptures, but pieces of the puzzle. They fit together and they are completely inline with the nature of God. I pray eyes will be opened and ears unstopped. We begin with Jeremiah, because that where the Lord put me when He called me.

____________________________

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as prophet to the nations." -- Jer 1:5

Only God creates. Here He informs Jeremiah that having made him, God had the right to call him into service. Just so, each child is created, meaning that it is God who gives them form and life, and God that has dominion over that life. Therefore, every time a child is aborted, God’s authority -- over His own creation -- is treated with insolent contempt.

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground." -- Gen 4:10

We think by killing the helpless that we have somehow eliminated a problem; but, if that person is innocent, what we have really done is profoundly magnify their voice unto the Lord. Just like Abel, Yeshua hears the cries of every innocent killed – every preborn babe, every handicapped, every elderly, etc.

The Lord was very angry with Cain for killing Abel. He was very clear that His call on Jeremiah’s life began even before conception. And He warned the Israelites clearly:

“Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land . . . so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.” – Deu 19:10

God made it very clear that the Israelites did not actually have to kill to be held guilty. No, all they had to do was ignore the shedding of innocent blood. Now, if this law has been rescinded by grace, then we have nothing to worry about.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” – Mat 5:17

Now here’s the thing: the admonition to protect the innocent is not a ceremonial law, negated by the sacrifice of Christ; but rather, an extension of the original commandment to not commit murder (Exo 20:13). Literally, we are commanded to not take the lives of those who have committed no offense worthy of death.

Jeremiah was called to speak to a nation whose religious leaders kept telling the people that God was not angry with them. He told them the truth, but the people loved their leaders so much that they could not and/or would not hear Jeremiah. Almost up to the moment Jerusalem was overthrown, the people and their leaders continued to ignore Jeremiah's warnings. They reasoned that God could not be mad at them, because they were His chosen people. Yet, the Scriptures tell us that God most certainly was angry. The second chapter of Jeremiah is full of God’s complaint against them. Let us look at three primary passages:

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” – Jer 2:13

Israel had chosen to worship and follow idols, a worship that called for the sacrifice of innocent children. They had traded the one true God for worthless images and allowed their children to be brutally murdered in tribute to them. Now, before you think that this is not America’s sin, I invite you consider the way we idolize the rich and famous, and justify our pursuit of pleasure and wealth. Are not the children killed for convenience’ sake? Do we not regard our “right to choice” higher than their innocent lives? Absolutely! And as such, we are just like ancient Israel.

The broken cisterns that Israel chose were carved pieces of stone and wood. Ours are ordinary men and women, money, fame, etc. Israel also loved the immorality that came with their foreign gods. Today, immorality is sold as something no one can do without. Quite literally, the children are killed because immorality is considered to be of so much more value than their innocent lives.

“Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of Me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. – Jer 2:19

Israel had ceased to fear God. Even though He warned them and disciplined them repeatedly, they considered His patience to be unending. Today, many see the mercy of the cross in much the same way, as a license to sin. Israel disrespected God’s holiness. So do we. They did not have the sense to be in awe of Him. Neither do we.

“On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet, in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; He is not angry with me.’ But I WILL PASS JUDGMENT on you, because you say, ‘I have not sinned’.” – Jer 2:34-35.

The innocent blood that covered the ancients is no different than the innocent blood our nation is awash in today. The children offered to ancient Israel’s gods were no guiltier of any crime than the ones we slaughter today. And what do we say to God? Just like Israel: that we are innocent of any crime!

Please understand: God does not expect those who do not belong to Him to be concerned with the things of His heart. Therefore, He is not looking for them to come to the aid of helpless. However, He does expect those who do belong to Him have regard for them, because we are to reflect Him to the world. Literally, when we, who claim to belong to God, fail to regard the things of God, we leave those things to those who do not, by their very nature, regard the things of God. To be sure there are those who do not believe who do consider the children, but it is to our disgrace for the ambassadors of the King are the ones who should be about His work. 

Ancient Israel’s priests considered their standing more important than teaching the truth of God’s word. It is easy to see that in the Scripture, but few realize that this is exactly what prompted many to keep the truth of abortion quiet. Because abortion is such a political “hot potato”, teaching the truth of it could result in the loss of a church’s tax-exempt status. Some were actually threatened with just that. And that loss, should a teacher pursue the subject, could then result in an end to the teacher’s position in the church. Some even used the excuse that teaching salvation was all they were called to do, anyway. And yet, when we look at the life of Christ, we do not see that He concerned Himself with salvation only.

Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Yeshua gave him back to his mother. – Luk 7:14-15

Now, some will say that by this action, He also drew people to Himself. However, the same argument can be made for reaching those abortion bound, because to offer them the truth of God’s word is to offer them Christ.

The lack of regard for the children’s lives has led to an even stronger lack of regard for life – which now includes the infirmed, the handicapped, the elderly, and those considered to have a low “quality” of life – where “quality” is, of course, determined by someone other than those to be murdered. In short, our refusal to live by God’s life-giving laws has resulted in a ferociously zealous anti-life society.

When the Lord called me, He said I would be like Jeremiah "crying out to a people who would not listen". Like the priests of Jeremiah’s day, the preferred leaders of this day also teach that "God is not angry". Like Israel many see themselves as God’s chosen people. The Israelites did not stop to think that being holy, and completely supreme; God was able to raise up another people to be His. Today, many show the same arrogance by thinking that there will be no judgment for their lack of obedience, either.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. – Jam 1:33

Many see the acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice as enabling them to continue in their sin, as long as they repent of it later. Paul tells us clearly that this is not the way we should live.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? We were, therefore, buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we, too, may live a new life. – Rom 6:1-4

Further, the Lord tells us clearly that if we are truly His, obedience will be our goal. Look carefully at John:

If you love Me, you will obey what I command. – Joh 14:15

No wiggle room here. It’s either one or the other. We love Him or we don’t, and that reality will be reflected in our lives. The Lord explains the consequences of choosing disobedience in Matthew:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” – Mat 7:21

Notice that it says “but ONLY he who does the will of My Father”. Understand, it does not mean that we will be perfect, but it does mean that we will be committed to striving for perfection – that our reverence for Him will be reflected in our lives. (Please do not think this means we are saved by our actions. That is another lie of the devil. IF we are saved, it is by grace and that salvation will produce obedient service.)

Some teach that this admonition to obedience is inconsequential, because God has forgiven our sins. However, forgiveness only applies to sins we have fully repented of or turned from. Where abortion is concerned, most have been too busy ignoring or denying their responsibility to have even considered repentance. So, we continue in our sin insisting that our voiced allegiance be considered more important than actual obedience.

Some will say that murder is the unlawful taking of a life. Understand, that while this true, it is God’s law with which we must concern ourselves, because it is God whom we will answer to. The law of man can be, and often is, perverted. But the law of God stands firm. We will either live by it or be broken by it eternally.

Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have NOTHING to do with a false charge and do NOT put an INNOCENT person to death, for I will NOT ACQUIT the guilty. – Exo 23:6-7

God was very clear in warning Israel. He told them that they would disregard innocent blood at a high price, such as mentioned in Ezekiel, Chapter 35, verse 6:

“. . . since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.”

Again, if God has changed, we need not consider these warnings. If we consider Him to not regard the shedding of innocent blood or to have suddenly regarded it less in light of the sacrifice of Christ – which makes no sense at all given that Christ’s blood was also innocent – but, if we are that willfully blind, then we might negate – at least mentally -- any punishment we might otherwise deserve. If that be the case, I invite such unreasoned thinkers to look at Christ’s response to a lukewarm church:

“So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth.” – Rev 3:16

Is not our sin more reprehensible? Have we not slandered His righteous name by insisting that our right to His holiness negates His holiness? Does He not show Himself to be both completely holy and unchanging? Absolutely, so then we can see that He would neither allow for the shedding of innocent blood unnecessarily nor a casual relationship with Him. On the one hand, such reasoning would attempt to lesson the value of the shed blood of Christ. On the other, to think that God has gone to all this effort to suddenly become completely uninterested and detached from the creation He has worked so hard over is pure folly.

Some have come along and determined in their own hearts that God is no longer actively, as in miraculously, involved in the lives of men and women. They have said this because they have not had such experience with God. Having determined their own worth to be too great to have been overlooked by such blessing, these have spoken out against all miraculous encounters as not of God. So by their reasoning, God no longer heals, delivers, restores, speaks, etc. in a manner inconsistent with their own personal views. Meaning, if it isn’t explicitly recorded in Scripture, it isn’t of God.

Now this egregious error literally means that if God clearly has miraculously removed your cancer, lump, or otherwise healed you beyond the physician’s understanding, you must not view it as from God. It also means that wherever anyone is miraculously delivered – be it from drugs, demons, or other assorted affliction – then that, too, must not be considered of God. No miracles literally means absolutely none at all.

Here’s the thing: if there are no more miracles and God no longer speaks directly to His people, then this warning which God gave to me Himself, is nothing to be concerned with. Forget the fact that it included a prophecy already largely fulfilled. (1 The 5:19-20). Ignore the reality of Scripture, because there are great quantities of Scripture that must be considered irrelevant – although why they would have been included for later generations is beyond reason. (Paul wrote extensively on the proper use of the gifts of the Spirit.) All because these modern-day Pharisees are convinced they are absolutely correct in their decidedly personal, assessment of the times.

And yet, people ARE being delivered, restored, healed, spoken to, etc. And God is still very intimately involved in the lives of men and women. Doctors and nurses report miraculous healing that cannot be attributed to modern-day medical care. Drug addicts are delivered from their addiction – without plausible explanation (beyond the miraculous). Prophets speak and are vindicated by the fulfillment of their prophecies.

Therefore, we should not be so committed to those who teach that we cannot see the evidence before us. We should not be so led by those who claim authority that we cannot understand what God is revealing. We must not be so proud that we do not take the time to seek out the truth from God, Himself. To think otherwise is to negate even the admonition to ask, seek, or knock (Mat 7:7), for who would do any of those things if, indeed, God were not responding. And, why, ask yourself, would this even be included in Scripture if God had no intention of fulfilling His word? Again, the Scripture that these “teachers” use to negate miracles is misinterpreted, and to believe it we must disregard far too many Scriptures – including the overall intent, that God is deeply, and personally involved in the lives of those who belong to Him.

If we desire to be His people, we must truly be His people – concerned with the things of His heart, focused on our service to Him. To merely say we are His while living like His word to us is irrelevant is to invite His wrath. Dear Brothers and Sisters it cannot be otherwise because God, Himself, has made it painfully clear throughout His word:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. – Gal 6:7

Like Israel we have sown death by allowing and promoting the shedding of innocent blood. Like Israel we have sown a lack of regard for God by preferring our wealth, etc. Like Israel if we do not repent we will reap what we have sown.

Their arrogance led to being slaughtered or carried off into captivity by cruel taskmasters, and the total destruction of their nation. Ours has already led, in many ways, to the demise of the nation our forefathers founded. Like ancient Israel, we now live in one that neither respects nor regards Him. Israel did not turn until it was too late. Do not be deceived. We stand at the precipice. IF we truly want peace with God, we must live as though His word to us is the most important thing in our lives. We must make His priorities our priority. We must stop considering the “business of the gospel” as a business, and recognize it for the obligation it is. For, IF we are saved by Him, we are bound to Him. The debt we owe Him can only be satisfied by our unadulterated love for Him – reflected by our wholehearted service to Him. And that service, dear brothers and sisters, will, by its very nature, reflect a concern for the things of His heart – including the lives of all innocents.

God’s peace.