Freedom

The idea for this blog started yesterday, on Twitter! Does God use technology to spread His word? Yes! It continued on twitter this morning when I posted a verse from John about freedom and it went from there. Here is the verse: "A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." John 8:35-36. Then my twitter question was, "how long is forever?" Here is one of the answers: Forev....................(No ending).

So, with that in mind, where do we go from here with that knowledge, with that living word? Here's the important question. Do we continue in sin, since we are sons and daughters forever? A thousand times ...NO!

"Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." Romans 6:1-4

Our response to this gift of grace and freedom is not to continue in sin, but to continue in changed lives! This grace is the power to do that. We continue in the love that Christ has given us through this gift; we love more, not less! We worship Him every day because of this gift and when we meet together we worship and praise more not less! We serve more, we give more, not less! This gift of freedom compels us, urges us on and on to live for Him and not for our own desires. The power of change in this gift is so great, we MUST speak and tell the story of His love.

We are sons and daughters of God. Thanks be to God for this gift.

Odor

Language is an amazing thing. Some words may have similar meaning, but with just a hint of difference. Odor is one of those words that can evoke a good meaning, but in another way, not so good. For instance, when the cook is busy in the kitchen and homemade spaghetti sauce is the result, the 'odor' is delightful! On the other hand, having been the mother of four boys, opening the closet door to find old lunches, dirty sneakers and clothes on the floor...well, tends to slam you in the face with the odor.

The odor I'm blogging about today is found in John 11:1-44. The beautiful story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Just as our spirits are dead in the grave without salvation, Lazarus was physically dead for several days. God intends for this event to bring glory to the only One who is worthy of glory. When Jesus started praying, He spoke in past tense, as though the deed had already happened, no doubts faith! (v41). With a great shout, "Lazarus, come out, and the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, Unwrap him and let him go!"

Do you have the picture? Lazarus has heard the rhema, his dead body had to obey! Out he comes; stinking, odorous graveclothes still clinging to his body. The headcloth still covering his face. What held it there? His body had been decaying for several days in the grave. He couldn't see very well. Jesus told the relatives who were there to pay respects to a dead brother to unwrap him and let him go.

This powerful retelling of the life, death and resurrection of Lazarus is ours too. We are dead in trespasses and sins until Jesus gets hold of our lives! We are risen to new life, coming out of the grave of sin. We are still bound by some graveclothes we take with us because our human nature has gotten comfortable with some things of the old life. One by one, these stinking graveclothes are removed by the work of the Holy Spirit, until we will be completely set free. These graveclothes could represent many things. Love of things in this life so much that it takes love from Jesus and serving Him. It could be our past. The shame of our past, the anger or unforgiveness toward those who have hurt us. It could be fear of slipping back into old ways, or bitterness that clings. It could be old accusations that have labeled themselves on the graveclothes: loser, you'll never amount to anything, stupid. Many hurtful things that bind us up. The feet of Lazarus were bound. But...

God's will is that we are set free from old, stinking graveclothes. Beautiful are the feet that publish the gospel. Be freed to speak His Good News! The Holy Spirit is at work on our behalf, His work never stops! Imagine if you will, the voice of Jesus commanding that those things that bind us be taken off! Let's trust Jesus today for deliverance. Tell someone today youwant to be free of graveclothes and their odor. More room for the fragrance of Christ.

Perfume 2

There are many verses about perfume in the Bible. Another woman named Mary was compelled to show this love to Jesus (besides the woman of Luke 7:36-50.) "Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar [grande] of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, (spikenard) and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance." John 12:3. This is Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She is at the feet of Jesus and wiping his feet with her hair, just as the woman of Luke 7 did. In both cases we have a man who absolutely despised what he was seeing in this love and devotion from the women.

Simon, the Pharisee of Luke 7 is bound up by the law and he is glad for it. He thinks this is his salvation, obeying all the rules and everything will be ok. He forgot the teaching of the prophet Micah 6:8, the 'minor prophet' with a major message. This meal took place in Simon's house. What was an immoral woman doing in his house? Simon was privileged to clearly see the road to salvation was repentance, yet he rejected it because judgement had a place in his heart. Poor Simon, rich woman.

By this time the fragrance had to have filled all the house where they were. A constant reminder of the absence of love in his heart. That love drove the woman to be at the feet of Jesus. When Mary in John 12:3 poured the perfume, it says the fragrance filled the whole house! What a nagging reminder to the man under the law! Long after everyone left, the fragrance lingered, it was so powerful. It's like the fragrance of every Christian who witnessed to me before I was saved. It lingered for years and when I was saved I remembered everyone, including strangers on the street.

Two of the people I remember was a Nazarene pastor and his wife that used to come to our house EVERY Friday with a freshly made loaf of Jewish rye bread and invited us to church. What was our answer for months? No. Did we ever say yes? No. They never gave up. When we repented in Alaska I started writing letters to those I knew who had witnessed to me. This couple was the first I wrote to. It was a letter encouraging them to never give up: inviting people to church, asking them to give their lives to Christ, invite them to your home, give gifts. Every good act showers the fragrance of Jesus on this poor, sick world.

We are the house! The Spirit of Christ takes residence in us when we are saved, and when we grow from grace to grace...more perfume! I want my whole house filled with the fragrance of Christ!

By the way, spiknard that was used in Bible times for fragrance was very costly. The plant was dried, then CRUSHED to get the oil and fragrance. To be the fragrance of Jesus we will be crushed but not destroyed!

Perfume

The idea for this blog got started on Sept. 13, in the first service. Pastor Jeff was speaking on serving and he made this statement, "love made me do it." One of the scriptures that he used was from Luke 7: 36-47. Go ahead and read it, and think about the presence of Jesus as the fragrance that fills the room as you read.

Perfumery is big business. Walk into any department store. As you open the front doors the air from the store comes rushing out the open door...perfume! The packaging is the next thing that always gets my attention. If its attractive, I head right for it to look and smell. The selection is enormous, the packaging is beautiful, the names of the perfumes are intriguing. Ellen Tracy, Juicy Couture, Chanel 5, on and on. As wonderful as the perfume counter is, none of these earthly delights can ever approach the fragrance we are blessed to have in the presence of Jesus.

I've been reading 1st. and 2nd Corinthians the last couple weeks. I was stirred again about perfume reading 2Cor. 2:14-16 . "Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?"

More tomorrow on "Perfume." Have to be in His presence!

Mercy

"Your unfailing love, [mercy in the NKJ] O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds." Ps.36:5

One day I was thinking about this verse and looking at the clouds in the sky and the earth as it was spinning around in the heavens and realized that no matter where the earth is, God's great mercy is so large it's over us every inch of the way. Wherever this earth spins, we can't get away from His mercy! That led me to search the scriptures on mercy. Both God's mercy to us and our response to His mercy. Here's some of what I found. These are some of the descriptive words inspired writers have written about our God and His mercy to us...

Mercies are great, manifold mercies, tender mercies, multitude of mercies, sure mercies, showing mercy, extended mercy, mercy shall compass him, plentious in mercy, mercy is everlasting, mercy is good, delights in mercy, rich in mercy, full of mercy. There is no such thing as stingy mercy, or begrudging mercy. If there were, it would be false.

God's message of mercy to us is...hope in His mercy, keep His mercy, love His mercy, we are vessels of mercy.

The next time you feel mercy slipping, hope in His mercy again because it is all of the above and more. Keep His mercy as one of your highest treasures from the Lord. Love His mercy and you will begin to see more and more of it. His salvation has made us vessels of mercy. His mercy will never run out, there is plenty to go around. That means we get to share it with those that may not deserve it (we don't either!) because we are containers of that great blessing, God's mercy.

When you look up into the heavens, remember God's mercy is all around us, every minute of the day and night. Thank and praise Him for His glorious gift, mercy. Honor God by showing His mercy to the Body of Christ, to people you work with, to family, to someone who has offended you. Your life will never be the same. Another step in growing from glory to glory.

He Will...

"Through him:
God has enriched your church in every way..."
"This confirms:
that what I told you about Christ is true..."
"Now you:
have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus
Christ..."
"He will...
keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord
Jesus Christ returns..."
"God will:
do this, for he is faithful to do what he says and he has invited you into partnership with his
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord..." 1Cor. 1:5-9 NLT

Smile, He will.

What If...Imagine..."

The scene is this: remaining disciples coming together to pray. Jesus has ascended to heaven and they have a job to do, evangelize the world!

"They all met together and were constantly united in prayer...During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place..." Acts 1:12-15.

"On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." Acts 2:1-4.

What if believers all over the world gathered to pray like that today? Obedience and hunger for God causes His people to gather like this. Putting aside everything to be in His presence and waiting for God to answer. He always answers!

What if...we had a "Night of Worship". No time constraints, no pressure from the clock, the prophets speak, the preachers preach until all the word has been declared. Imagine... God's people gathered in His name for one purpose, EXPECTING to hear from God. Imagine... churches filled to capacity and ALL are praising the Lord with a full heart. No divided hearts, just hearts to praise the God who is worthy of all creation praising Him. He desires to fellowship with His people. Now, that's an amazing statement! God desires to be with us much more than we can imagine.

What if...we pray as one and there is forgiveness and trust in every marriage and relationship in the Church? Imagine...people with chronic illnesses immediately healed of all disease. What if...we come together as one, and we are blessed with purpose and vision that changes our lives. What if...we repent and God heals our land! Imagine...God's people in faith lay hands on the sick in our communities and all are made well. What if...God's people preach His word in our communities and people hear and are transformed! Inside and out! Imagine...children being restored to parents and to God? All for waiting in the upper room to hear from you!

This is the Church that God is making, the Church in unity. We are not divided when our doctrine begins and ends in Jesus. Imagine...every Christian in Monroe giving school supplies and our communities see this and wants the vision we have? Imagine...the number of Thanksgiving dinners that would be provided, every child with a Christmas gift, soup kitchens around the city and the word of God being freely spoken?

Every Christ follower is able to do something, every church is able to do something. We have been given that power because the God we serve today is the same as He was on the day of Pentecost! Don't wait another day to discover what God has planned for you. He gives gifts to all His people, not one is left out. The table of the Lord is full, there is enough for everyone.

Be Comforted

A friend and I were texting about some things and I'm inspiried to write some blogs about God's word. His word is called rhema, or living, among other things. God's word is timely and fitting for every situation we are in, no matter what it is. All His word is inspired for everything we need in this life, everything that is required of us. It is our wisdom and light. It is the story of our Savior Jesus and the love He had for us. It is word to the Church, God's own people. His word is truth. It was established in eternity. His word will never cease. It can never be out-dated. His word is up to the minute for every need. His word for tonight is "Be Comforted."

He prepared the way for our comfort by sending the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and in the twenty-first century the Comforter is still here! Be comforted as you read His word, His promise to us. Most of the scriptures I read this evening are from the New Living Translation. If you see something familiar, don't rush through it, read more than once until it becomes revelation to you.

2Cor. 1:1-7, 2Thess. 2:16-17, Isa. 51:12, Isa. 51:18-19, Ps.23:4, Isa. 61:1-11, Zech.1:17 NLT

Our strong consolation is in the Lord. Hebr. 6:18 NKJV

Jim and Marlee Tweet

Here's a twitter exchange Jim and I had a few minutes ago. Made me laugh out loud. He is coming down to the end of his errands at the end of the work day.

Jim: Got the new folding table, getting a flu shot @ Safeway next.
Marlee: (my eyes and brain perk up) Is it the big flu shot? Swine? (he knows I didn't call him a
swine)
J: No, it's the teeny-weeny flu shot.
M: I'm laughing out loud.

This is about overcoming! Didn't think about it at first, but it's there. We have world organizations overtalking H1N1. Some have had the new flu. Should we teach our kids the proper way to sanitize? Definitely, yes. Should we have our sick kids in school or church? No. We should also talk with our kids about what they are hearing in school and among their friends and get information for our families so we can be prepared. But fear must not have any place in our thinking. When there is a lot of fear going around, I read the book of Acts and Mark 16:17-18. God is a God of wonders, a God who gives us strong consolation, 2Thess2:16 KJV. Have an attitude!! One of overcoming!

Our faith tells us the temptations we have in this life are common to everyone. When we consider God and how great He is, this temporary life and all of its tests are teeny-weeny!

No Fear

I'm positive all of us have heard quotes that go something like this, "Speak without fear." I heard it today, but it didn't seem repetitive. It sounded brand new, so I wasn't indifferent to it. Seems to me the clamour in the world is getting louder and louder. The world wants our attention and is trying everything they can to get our attention. Here are some descriptive words of what comes into our ears every day: roar, blare, din, noise, bellow, hubbub, outcry, racket, tumult, uproar and my personal favorite, cacophony.

As Christians, we have no need of competing with the world for attention. We have been given everything we need. Jesus has the words of life and He has given them to us, they are ours in His name! I think there were occasions when Jesus got really loud. For instance, when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, chasing the money changers from the temple, chastising the Scribes and Pharisees. Just can't imagine calling people 'vipers' in a still, small voice!

So, what keeps us from speaking without fear? Why, fear of course. Fear has torment. (1John 4:18 NKJV). It will keep us from blessing, this fear. It will keep us from trusting the One who is worthy of our complete trust. Fear will keep us from living in the freedom we have been given in our inheritance. Fear leaves us in darkness, but Jesus delivers us from all fear and its torment.

How is it you want to speak to this generation? There are any number of choices today and you have been gifted by the only creative God, to speak some way, some how. Art, worship, drama, blog, FB, twitter. Yes, even those new techie things. Preaching, encouraging, exhorting. Opening a new business!! Our work every day, relationships in our communities to schools and other churches, activities in our communities like the parade we had Saturday in Monroe! That day of service to the community spoke in a very loud voice. We spoke God's love to the lost, hope in Christ, caring from a local church to its community. We may not have all that they need, but we WILL go in the strength we have and will give what we have.

This very thing, service, is what God calls us to do with all the passion we have. We have a voice given to us by God. I'm going to use it. The other noise doesn't matter, God's call matters.