Romans 11:22 Behold therefore the kindness and severity of God.
Those that are mature know Him both as Lion & Lamb, Grace & Union, Thy Rod & Thy Staff.
Zech.11:7 NIV - So I pastured
the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock.
Then I took two staffs and one "Grace" or Favor and the other "Union",
and I pastured the flock.
October 15, 1998: "Ambassadors in bonds"
Eph.6:19-20 KJV And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Don't let anyone act as an umpire declaring you out or unfit because of circumstances you suffer with. There are plenty of people out there who take upon themselves the role of your judge and jury. Their whole aim is to disqualify you. We base our confidence on the "price paid in full" by our savior Jesus Christ. There was nothing lacking in the sacrifice that Jesus made, all circumstances were included in that price for your life from beginning to end. What God was faithful to start, He will be faithful to complete in us. Personal circumstances don't limit the work of God in our lives, for He continues to work "all" things for good in our lives. If Satan himself comes to destroy our bodies, the word of God declares what was meant for evil will be turned around for good. We thank God in all circumstances, because no matter how bad our circumstances may appear, He promises that we will triumph in Christ Jesus. You may say triumph? In this mess? How can any good thing come from these circumstances? You may be in prison, convicted of some crime that you may or may not have done. You look at the bondage and wonder how can God be working something good by this prison. Just as there are real prisons, with real criminals, there are spiritual prisons, emotional prisons, physical prisons, prisons of our own making. Being a prisoner is not limited by locked bars and legal decrees. A prisoner can be walking about in society looking every bit whole, but chained to weights and bondages. There are also prisoners because of their faithfulness to God. The determination to hit the mark of the high calling, sent a wave of demonic persecution that sought to completely disengage the threat to the enemies plans. You may be one of those who are being hailed with arrows and bound to circumstances that you have no control over. God wants you to know He is with you and is working a higher purpose through it all. I look at the stroke victim and believe God for their healing. I see an individual who is a prisoner within a body that won't work properly. Inside, the person is free but outside they are bound. The frustration they must feel is mind blowing. We, the body of Christ, are going through many hard trials and circumstances, many of us are bound with no control over them. We can sit in our homes, go about our daily activities, be in a large group of people and still be in a type of prison of circumstances and feel alone. There are some things we can rebuke, cast out or get over, but when winter comes, the sap goes to the base of the tree. In America we are good at painting a pleasant picture of the life of faith. Not many speak of the trials and circumstances we "all" go through. It is not a popular message, so needless to say, alot of hurting people are suffering in silence wondering what's wrong with me? Didn't I pray enough, didn't I rebuke enough? Some prison sentences must be gone through. After all, God is the one designing the lessons of our lives. After you have rebuked every devil, confessed every scripture and you still seem to be in a prison, the word of God says to stand. God has a higher purpose for the darkness of the dungeon. The trees sway when the winter winds blow, and some of the brittle branches break off, but the sap goes to the base point. You may feel dead, dry and brittle, but know you are loved and that the sap of the tree, who is the Zoe "God kind of life", is within you both to will and do His good pleasure.
I look at an example of faith in the Apostle Paul. You may or may not know that Paul spent a wide expanse of time, perhaps a decade in various prisons, beginning with his arrest in Jerusalem about A.D.58 and ending with his incarceration and final martyrdom under Emperor Nero in A.D.67. I look at the circumstances in the natural and think how can any good thing come out of this persecution of Paul. Alone and cold in the dungeon, the beloved Paul wrote many Pastoral epistles that speak to us today. Paul wrote weighty powerful letters in prison, right where he was. Saints, no matter what prison of circumstance your in right now, know assuredly that God will use you right where you are. 2 Tim.2:9-10 KJV " wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." All of the suffering and persecution in your lives are for others to know Christ. Satan thought he could shut Paul up. Bound and put into a pit his ministry flourished, for Paul's writings became weighty and powerful through trial. His faith was not a formula or a quick fix program, his faith was produced through many experiences that tested it. Paul said, " I have learned to be content." Paul's example revealed the prize of patient endurance. He boasted of his afflictions that the power of Christ would rest on him. He spoke of his imprisonment's, how he was driven into exile, and how he had been stoned. If speaking these things then wasn't wrong, why are so many popular teachings focusing on not confessing anything negative? It sounds like denial to me. Let the rock throwers hit me in the head, it doesn't hurt, as I don my mask and cloak. I was once in a particular church that taught Job was a mistake. "If he would have confessed right and feared not, the book of Job could have only been a few chapters long." Suffering has never been a popular message, and the church in alot of areas has neglected to properly prepare the body for these types of trials. The idea is, "if everything seems perfect and I feel good, then I'm okay with God." Beloved, if you are His chosen, no matter what circumstances you go through, you are still okay with God. Acts 9:15-16 KJV "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my My name's sake." Acts 20:22-24 KJV "And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
The Lord promises us that He will bring us out of the iron furnace. Only He knows the end results of our trials. Our way of escape from these circumstances may not be Gods way. We must trust the Lord in all of our circumstances and know He is working all things for our good and for the sake of the gospel. 1 Peter 5:10 KJV But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
The Bible says that a faithful ambassador is health. Pro.13:17 I thank God for the faithfulness of Paul through trial, for his life as ambassador brought health to the body of Christ through his writings. His life as a missionary did much, but his writings in prison greatly exceeded any previous work. You may be a lonely minister reading this, thinking that your stuck in a prison of circumstances and your life is over. It's not over! See, write, pray, believe, stand, wait, be the example as ambassador of your heavenly country. Help those who are suffering, show them they are loved more than they know. Heb.13:3 KJV Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." You might be bound up, tied, chained and isolated from the world, but no matter how bound your circumstances are, the word of God is not bound! 2 Tim.1:8 KJV "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." Phil.1:12-14 KJV But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."
I think about all the saints that have gone on before. Many thought
their generations would see the return of the Lord. Just as we believe
we will see His return in our life time. What type of legacy did
our relatives leave behind? Our lives are open books, living epistles
seen and read of all men. Paul left a legacy of experiences that
we all can learn from. His reward was Christ and I bet Paul cast
his crown at the Lords feet when he arrived to his prize. Paul was
human, and I bet he had lots of regrets and even questioned some of his
sufferings. I bet he was cold and the darkness of that pit at times
would close in on him. He found the one who sticks closer than a
brother. Even in prison alone, he was not alone. If you are
in a prison today I want to encourage you, your not alone. You are
loved in the midst of all the turmoil and mistakes. He made provision
for all your life, including the trials and circumstances that are beyond
your control. If you have sinned, he is faithful and just to forgive
you of all your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. All
you have to do is repent and turn towards the lover of your soul with your
whole heart. He will never leave you or forsake you. In closing,
remember that personal circumstances don't limit the work of God in our
lives. Let none of these things shake your confidence in Gods love
for you, and do not let these things move you. Let God use you right
where you are!
August 4, 1998: "The Cross"
I will attempt in my very limited existence & understanding, to relay what the Lord has heavily laid on my heart. I acknowledge my dust bowl existence, & the darkness of my own heart. For I know what I am. Only God really knows the fullness of what this particular vessel is capable of. Woe am I for I am a woman of unclean lips & dwell in the midst of an unclean people. I pull off the mask. I hope my transparency does not offend you. If it were not for Gods grace, I would not be. For all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God. Paul wrote, I am the least of all saints that should be called a saint, for I persecuted the church. He also said he was the greatest of all sinners & the least of the apostles. He found out that there was only one who fully obeyed, who fully believed & who truly fully finished all that He was commissioned to do. Jesus Christ. Everything that Jesus commissions, is by grace from beginning to end. Demonstrating His witness, nature & character in new measures, will require even more grace. Unmerited favor imparted to us, to accomplish the missions He designed. Favor undeserved, favor even in our unworthy existence. He has " made" us worthy, by His blood & grace alone. For many are called, but few are chosen. Jesus said, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you."
The more we think we know, the less we know. I've come to realize I don't know anything. In our nothingness He becomes everything in us. We are but clay pots. So many times we try to fill these pots with ourselves, not realizing we have nothing to offer anyone. Christ in us the hope of glory. May we always put our hands over our mouths, & say we really don't know anything. His wisdom is high above our limited minds. But in His infinite wisdom, He chooses to show some of His clay pots a portion of His grand plan. "We" take that part & run with it, form doctrines, build shrines & set it up as complete truth. Not realizing we are only a part, not the start. What Jesus started, He will bring to completion as we yield to Him & die to ourselves. If "we" think that Gods anointing or gifting, means that our ways must be Gods ways, and everything we do is right.........we are already deceived. The more we mature in the Lord, the more we come to realize our absolute desperate need of Him. The more we become mature, the more we become transparent & open to our fellow man. All of our suffering & tribulations are for the sake of the gospel. The more power or influence we are given, the greater the danger of deception. Power without death, brings corruption. Our cross our means of execution is to be picked up everyday.
1 Cor.4:9-14 ICB: But it seems to me that God has given me and the other apostles the last place. We are like men sentenced to die. We are like a show for the whole world to see, angels and people. We are fools for Christ's sake. But you think you are very wise in Christ. We are weak, but you think you are strong. You receive honor, but we are hated. Even now we still do not have enough to eat or drink or enough clothes. We are often beaten. We have no homes. We work hard with our own hands for our food. People curse us, but we bless them. They hurt us, and we accept it. They say evil things against us, but we say only kind things to them. Even today, we are treated as though we are the garbage of the world, the dirt of the earth. I am not trying to make you feel ashamed. I am writing this to give you a warning as if you were my own dear children.
You may ask, why such a message? I had a dream last night. I was in a coliseum like in Rome. I was looking at the people in the stands, all shouting & laughing & mocking what was going on in the arena. I looked down & there were Christians tied to poles & running around the bottom of the arena from lions. The lions were killing the Christians & eating them, while the crowds cheered & seemed to enjoy the sight. I was so sick. I have had a hard time today shaking the images of my mind from that dream.
Heb.11:36-38 KJ And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy, they wandered in deserts, and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb.12:2-3 KJ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
The passion of the Roman culture for entertainment was enormous. During the reign of Claudus, 93 days each year were expressly devoted to games & spectacles, by the end of the second century the number had risen to 135. The Roman coliseum was an arena of butchery. It was in this coliseum that many of our brothers & sisters were given to the lions & other forms of terrible torture. The brutalizing effect of the arena on Roman society was hard to comprehend. How could so many people of "culture" fail to condemn this practice?
Christians were unpopular partly because their rites were widely misunderstood. The communion rite especially. The Romans thought that their arrogance & impious behavior towards the gods of Rome, must have angered the gods themselves. Thus natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires, sent by the gods, were the fault of the Christians. Nero had self acknowledged Christians arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers of others were condemned, for their anti-social tendencies. Their deaths were made farcical. Dressed in wild animals' skins, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or crucified, or made into torches to be dipped in oil then ignited after dark as substitutes for day-light.
Persecution has a way of stripping our masks & hypocrisies. For those who truly believe the gospel will not compromise it, even unto death. Rev.12:11 KJ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.
During the heat of Rome's persecution, many Christians found sanctuary under ground. In a place called the Catacombs. It was an erie feeling going under ground when I visited Rome. Many tunnels & caves were dug out under the city of Rome to house the under ground church. They worshipped, prayed, taught, lived & died in those caves while persecution raged above. They buried the dead in dug out places in the porous rock & sealed them in.
I think of all the entertainment we have as a church. How entertaining will it be when they start taking us to jail or killing us for our message? Will Christianity still be appealing to us then. I see a most bitter cup coming.