The Crossing
The disciples were worried but safe. Still the water was in the boat. It doesn’t say in the story but somehow they got the water out of their boat and got to the other side.
Jesus said “Let us cross over.” And He will take His church across the sea of life no matter how big the storm. We will get to the other side. Jesus started this trip and he will finish it.
He accepts responsibility for your finishing while you are with him on His boat on his mission this is what He says. - I will build my church. - I will let no one snatch them out of my hand. - The gates of hell shall not prevail. - Having begun a good working you he shall perform it.
Friend, this is about reaching the other side. Getting through life and finishing the race. God intends we cross over the sea of life and finish life well. He is committed to getting us over. Our faith just needs to be in His ability to keep us not in our ability to hold on.
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Getting over failure
A number of years ago I was in a worship time and I heard a voice speak to me to do something with was not bad in any way but I just wasn’t sure it was God. Initially, because I heard this voice in the worship time, I thought it must be God. However it didn't sound like Him and I'd never heard a voice like that before, so I wasn’t sure. If it hadn’t of been a good thing it was suggesting, I would have dismissed it straight away. I was confused and then condemned as I struggle to reconcile who had spoken. If it was the devil, I would never do it but if it was God and I don’t do it, I could lose His blessing because of disobedience.
I decided it was the devil and still fought condemnation for some time. Part of the problem was I didn’t think that the devil could just turn up in the presence of God like that, when I was worshipping God. I guess I should have twigged but have since then I’ve discovered that he often turns up in God’s presence to condemn.
In the book of Zachariah 3, Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Lord and Satan was standing at his right hand to oppose him. There is Satan right in the presence of God. Right when God is speaking to you and wanting to bless you and speak to you the devil is accusing you. We might come into the presence of God to hear and to receive life but many times there is a battle that first must be won. The battle to hear the Lords voice, over the enemy's voice. “You’re not worthy of blessing; God has nothing to say to you; you’ll have to much better that that, if you expect God to really love you.”
But v4 God speaks above the accusation, “See I have removed your iniquity from you and I will clothe on with rich robes of my righteousness”
And friend, our Fathers word, is the final word.
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Sex and the City
Years ago I saw the film “It’s a Mad Mad mad mad World and Terry Thomas who was playing an English botanist said in it “it seems to me that the Americans are preoccupied with bosoms.” And it is probably a fair comment.
If a Martian were to visit the earth and look the culture on earth they would have to go back and say they are preoccupied with sex. Nearly everything they watch on TV, nearly every movie, book and magazines, nearly everything thing they sing about and talk about is sex. Sex in the morning, sex in the evening and sex at supper time. From watching the TV and papers it seems that you can’t sell a toothbrush without a woman, or eat butter without an affair. The fascination for sex has filled the earth. Sex has become a religion. Our media and homes are awash with immorality and it crashes on the church and foams its alluring spray over the people of God. I believe it is one of the strong demon spirits that the people of God need to overcome personally and in our city.
When people stop worshipping the creator they will automatically begin to worship the creation. God’s highest creation was the man. Mankind was His greatest work; it was the best that he could make. The Bible says the man was made in the image of God. There is something God-like; something awesome about the human person. In fact, when a man sees his wife naked the feeling he feels is nothing short of awe and wonder. Throughout the centuries more paintings have been made of people, than anything else. God creation is awesome, it is wonderful but it is still just Gods creation and when people fall from worshipping God they easily fall to the worship of the body. The body is not evil; it is a gift from God but it is now affected by the fall. That means it’s bent toward selfishness and wants to be gratified.
Friend, God never designed the body to be in charge but it was designed to be the servant of our spirit and souls. The body is to be governed by the Holy Spirit through our will. When the Holy Spirit is not in control, the body will seek to run rampant over even our conscience.
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Work is not our idol or our identity
In the early days, secular work was seen as a lesser calling, but somehow now it has been reversed - work is now the new idol tackled with religious devotion. Work is not meant to be the goal; it is meant to the goal, which is to find fulfilment in serving others and glorifying God. Lately, what used to be work ethic, morphed into idolatry. Work has become God. People are offering their lives to work - sacrificing the family and health on the altar of the corporation. Service becomes a human achievement. Divine calling became a personal career. Fulfilment from feeling accepted by God now comes from the degree of success at work. Work becomes everything for the wrong reasons and motivation is everything.
When work becomes addictive or a buzz so you have to do more of it, we are beginning to define our identity by it to gain our sense of worth from it.
The reason we live and work is all-important. It defines our growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The boss wants more and more time; the family is seeing less and less so there is no time for ministry at the church. Soon Sunday is a recovery day and people cease to live as Christians.
Friend, it’s about balance. There is a vital ministry in the market place but there is to be a vital ministry in the family of God too.
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The other 6 days
In the old days, it was said that ministry was a special calling and if you want to do really serious work for God, you must go in that direction.
This sort of thinking, can affect our young people who believe that one day they'll be able to serve God. May be they don’t need to get an education and perhaps we don’t need to excel at work -just bum around till you get into the "real ministry." Do you know that the number of people applying to become missionary’s, follow the unemployment graph!
Spurgeon said to his students, “If you can be happy being a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher and business men then do it, for God is not calling you, ministry is just a nice idea to you.”
There is the effectual call of Christ where were saved and called to a lifestyle holiness; then there is the providential call in which you find yourself, like in your present job; the call to ministry and use of you gifts and the heart call. The thing you really want to do, maybe you want to be an engineer, where you would enjoy deep gladness and meet one of the world’s deep needs.
Friend, God is coming to widows and farmers to help them succeed. He knows about matchmaking, crop growing, administration and even prison work! Talk to Him about your work too!
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Work
Sometimes we pray like this Father as we gather at church meetings- Lord, help us to leave behind the hurly-burly of the world as we come together now to do your work in this place.
What does that tell our people? That they are nothing till Sunday? That they have no value all week till Sunday or home group and they can get to do some of Gods work? No! At the office, you are the minister there. Your work is your ministry.
Throughout history, there came a division probably unintentionally between those doing full-time church work and the rest. There was the sacred word and secular work and sometimes we still use that division. It elevated the spiritual ministry above other jobs. Calvin reclaimed work not as secular but spiritual and holy. Calvin said, “your work is your ministry, so serve God in it.” Your call and vocation are the same.
God is a worker and it’s part of Gods nature to work. God is a worker and if we want to be like Him we will be a worker. Some religions have Gods that live a life of self-indulgent pleasure and revelry. God is never represented sleeping it the Bible. He is running, sitting, standing, and being a farmer, a potter, a weaver, gardener or shepherd but never a sleeper. God is a worker it is part of Gods character to work. He expends energy in the service of others; it fulfils Him and He says it’s very good. Everything that He does benefits others and for his own glory.
Friend, John Stott said, “Work is expending energy in the service of others bringing fulfilment to the worker, benefit to the community and glory to God.”
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Peace making
Out of all the religions of the world; all the sages, human leaders, priests and poets of all religion, the only people that are bringing people into peace with God are the disciples of Jesus Christ.
No one else has that message. Disciples of Jesus Christ hate contention and discord. If you promote peace in your home, church, and world, God will call you his kid.
Believes can continue talking without being contentious, disagree without being disagreeable and confront without being abusive. They seek to not give offence but live kindly. They will not take offence but love and live in harmony rather than take offence. They will gently seek to build bridges between those who have been separated. They sow peace not strife and they cover others sin to not separate other. They don’t whisper or gossip and they don’t try to make other people look bad to someone else.
They are not as Pharisees, who think they are now better than others but are like beggars telling other beggars where they can find bread.
The church preaches peace through Jesus Christ. That Jesus loves them and wants them to find peace with God through Him. He wants to help people find inner peace and peace with others.
Friend be a peacemaker. When you leave are people more at peace than they were. Do people call you a trouble maker or a peacemaker?
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Jesus our Inheritance
The land before them stretched out as far the eye could see. God had called the Promised Land, their inheritance and they were to make sure the inheritance was not lost or given away but handed on to the children. In the New Testament Pauls basic theology is receive Jesus Christ and you will become a child eligible for part of His inheritance, or to be come co heirs. All that God has given to us in Christ, is our inheritance. Every blessing we are given; the Holy Spirit, peace with God, every privilege we enjoy, every right we are given in the name of Jesus, every benefit we receive such as salvation forgiveness and atonement are our wonderful inheritance in Jesus.
Friend, every state we enjoy now and for eternity. This is the inheritance God has given His New Creation family. It is complete in Jesus. He has paid the price so fully, that He could enter in to heaven and take a seat.
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