Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Words to Live By

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away.”
A Pastor’s Prayer
God’s Word is final! God’s Word is everlasting! What a wonderful promise! What a tremendous gift! How soothing these words are to the heart, soul, and mind.
Where can the respect for God’s Word be found? Where can the respect for God’s Word be witnessed? God’s Word and only His Word is everlasting so where is the oratory, where is the effect of its counsel? Why as Christians do we spend countless hours trying to preserve everything that is going to perish and leave the Word to itself? When Satan shouts through man that God’s Word is ancient, outdated and irrelevant for today’s culture, and that Jesus said He came to put and end to the Old Testament Law, where, I ask is the man God is shouting through saying, I didn’t come to put and end to the Law, I Am the end of the Law, the fulfillment, the culmination of the Law!! I AM the One who lived the Law perfectly. “Not one jot or a tittle shall pass away from this Law.”
Where is a “Paul” to remind us through the Word that the Law is not made for righteous men but for those who are lawless? Where can God’s servant be heard saying, God’s moral law hasn’t changed because God hasn’t changed! Whatever is right has always been right and whatever is wrong has always been wrong! Morality doesn’t change because God doesn’t change? How do we speak to a “religious” culture that has fallen away from the precepts of Your Word? How do we confront the beast that is slowly putting the world asleep?
Satan has men boldly shouting abominations from the pulpit while others, supposedly God’s men, are running for cover; both have innocent blood on their hands! God, where is David to slew the giant? The giant is shouting out abominations to you Father; where can another like David be found to kill this blasphemy? Help us discover Your Word, plant it in our hearts, proclaim it, and boldly apply it in our lives!
Jesus, Advent reminds us that you are coming soon; your Word reminds us that you never left. It is my prayer that in your return you will find us about Father’s business, safe in His Word eternal. Come Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!!!

Amen.

New Wineskins



“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins”
(Mark 2:22).

Greetings brethren –

It is my desire to write words of encouragement to you that I pray will lift you up and bring you joy as you pursue a life of righteousness and walk daily in your kingdom assignments.

It is a privilege to be commissioned as believers to share the Gospel of Christ with others. Jesus invites us, instructs us, enables us, and trusts us with this assignment that our joy in serving with Him in this endeavor might be full!

            Why is it then, you may wonder, does discouragement often choke out joy, fear challenge our faith, and complacency triumph over action in our calling as disciples???
Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark points out the fact that trying to put new wine into old wineskins is the problem and the very answer to this question. We simply skip the preparation process and the result is defeat! Defeat in a witness to someone, defeat in a Bible study gathering, defeat in prayer, defeat in all things pertaining to God.

            The preparation I speak of is shedding our old wine skins. The spiritual discipline required in this task for every believer is fasting. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to fast away our desire to indulge in worldly pleasures. In fasting we destroy the hunger and thirst for worldly desire and in its place we develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness. As we fast specific practices of sin are revealed and destroyed as confession and repentance bring and end to the old wineskin and a new wineskin emerges in the form of a believer freshly transformed by God with a renewed mind, a strengthened faith, and a softened heart that is ready for new wine, an abundance of anointing by the Holy Spirit.

            Brethren, let Jesus call you into a fast. Let Him have total control of your desire to conform to His righteousness. As your shortcomings are revealed, own up to them, and repent!! Allow Christ to prepare you for new wine, new vision, new understanding, and sensitivity to His discipleship. Walk in the fullness of your purpose as a living sacrifice, a fresh wine skin ready for new wine!

Blessings,

Pastor, Jim