Does God Challenge You? 3

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SPIRITUAL CHECK-UP

I think in America and probably else we have come to think, "This is how it should be"... when it comes to things concerning God…  But is it?  What is “normal” with God?

This type of thinking “This is how it should be,” has only brought trouble… look at all the separated doctrine Christian churches!  Look how they have changed over time… I am not knocking the Methodist Church but I going to use them as an example.   Methodist Churches do MANY great works in their communities along with other churches but as the years have gone by they no longer work in or approve of the giftings of the Holy Spirit such a speaking in tongues and prophecy and interpretation of tongues.  What changed this?  It’s the understandings of man verse the reality of God.

 

Remember what Jesus says to the church of Ephesus?

“I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars.

³ I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary.

⁴ But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].

⁵ Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God’s will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.”  Revelation 2:2-5 AMP

That can go for any church or any individual in the church.  Religious activity can be just a meaningless to God as unreligious activity because God wants a relationship with us -and His will to be done. 

If we “do” -not in “both” Spirit and truth then what “it” is to God?

When the experience is of burden and empty of joy we must ask ourselves… where is God?  When the experience is only for our own gain- where is God? 

Where have we positioned ourselves in regards to the experience and God? Is it more about us then it is about God?  

AND how has this routine, regimented, foolish, thinking got us closer with God?  Look back that Revelation again my friend.

When the winds and storms start to blow in this life and the driving rains become rushing floodwaters to sweep away all that grows- what will become of us?  Is it about works or a relationship with God?

I am being reminded of Martha and Mary…

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10”38-42

Honestly ask yourself this question…  Do we just sit on the surface (roots and all)- knowing God has more but never seeking, never discovering and never anchoring our faith more deeply in HIM? 

What happens to our shallow understanding when troubles come?  God help us see our continual need in anchoring ourselves in relationship with HIM.  

We might be able to control and schedule our services and things in our lives but these things… what are they? These things are fragile things…  and these fragile things if not orchestrated by God are what?  Who really has control?  What are they really strengthening?

Was Jesus ever “routine” when he went about the Father’s business?  (Read it again.)  Who’s schedule and plans did Jesus go by?  What was Jesus addressing and strengthening and healing?  Did he not just challenge the unreligious but the religious as well?

I consider myself a pretty open minded Christian.  I was not always so.  Speaking in tongues would just "freak me out!"  Slain in the Spirit... I just thought that was fake....  And.... well anything else that fell along that side of the tracks was just STRANGE and SCARY....) 

In truth… I trusted in what I understood.  Anything that wasn't "traditional" just was WEIRD.....  Until GOD used the very things I wanted to stay FAR away from to touch and change my life.  

Speaking of which…let’s talk about the term “born again”

Time 2

--> God In Time

 ^“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  JOHN 3:16-17

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.  And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” JOHN 3:18-21

How can a person already be judged? How is this possible? 

God knows all… He does not just know what is in a person’s heart but what "has" and "will" happen in our life.  He is El Olam- the Everlasting/Eternal God.  He sees past, present, and future all at once.  He knows the outcome of our lives.  He knows if we are going to come to Him or not in the time we are allowed here on earth.  So God, who knows all, can judge based on what he knows from beginning to end.  As Christians, God knew the time of our salvation in Jesus, before we were ever born.

Imagine Jesus who spoke everything into existence, in essence, wrote the book of time and then he inserted himself into the book of time.  The book of time is “figurative speak”- I don’t know if there is an “actual” book of time but there isn’t a better way I can come up with to convey this truth at the moment.
    

God sent Himself into time to save those he created in time.   Jesus, The Son Of God, subjected Himself to time when the Spirit of God impregnated Mary who was a virgin.  Jesus was born fully God and fully man. 
 

Think of it…. The author of life came to save his creation but almost all his creation did not even recognize Him.
 

John 1:10 says, “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him.”

Jesus being God in time, he had wisdom beyond his years. LUKE 2:46-50.   Yet being God in time he did not perform any “public” miracles until after his water baptism by John the Baptist.  Why is this? I do not know. 

I do say “public” miracles because his mother Mary seemed to know he could do miracles as when she asked him to provide wine at the wedding in Cana.  (JOHN 2:1-12).   John writes in 2:11: “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was Jesus’ first “display” of his glory.  And his disciples believed in him.”  Another version uses the word “manifest” instead of display, which is to “make known, realized, and/or exposed to view”.

It is obvious Jesus was concerned about the “timing” of revealing such power publically.  “How does this concern you and me?” Jesus replied.  “My time has not yet come.”  It is as if God and SON had “events” schedule to thread in the ribbon of time.  I might even say the “story” of time.

And Jesus doesn’t just refer to time once but several times and the apostle John was aware of this “timing” as well in his writings.   John wrote, “….”yet no one seized him because his hour had not yet come.” -JOHN 8:20 

And… “At this they tired to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” JOHN 7:30.  Is this not an odd statement?  Odd but not so odd if God had a plan in place.
 

This idea of timing, points to events as being governed and predestined by God.   We see this not only in New Testament scriptures but Old Testament scriptures where prophecies were written about Christ.  These prophecies date back all the way to Adam and Eve.   Probably the most well known prophecies are the ones written 700 years before Jesus Christ’s birth.

“Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
² My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
³ He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

⁴ Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
⁸ Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
⁹ He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

¹⁰ But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
¹² I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

ISAIAH 53:1-12

Literally the LORD’s good plan to save us was accomplished in his hands.  His act of pure sacrifice cleansed all those who believe in Him from Adam and Eve to when time as know it finally ends. 

 “For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.   God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times.  And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.”  ROMANS 3:24-26

Time 1

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“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—“ Ecclesiastes 3:1

King Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, wrote this verse.  He understood that God appoints time…. to everything.   

Our concept or understanding of time is not God’s understanding of time.   And we are often indoctrinated in God by God’s use of time.  However, we are often ignorant of time and it’s use.  We miss use time.   We are possessive and selfish of what we consider “our” time.  We are possessive of the people and things in time, which cannot be possessed.  We fail to realize (repeatedly) is what we hope for others and ourselves cannot be destined and/or governed by us.  And what we force on our own accord often brings negative consequences and un-satisfaction.    

Jesus teaching is disciples to pray said to pray like this to the Heavenly Father, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

May God’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven…. Not our will be done on earth. 

When things don’t happen the way we expect we become impatient and frustrated with others, ourselves and with God.   Sometimes God's  “appointed time” for a certain thing has not come or become realized yet. (Remember Abraham, Sarah,  and Hagar.)

Often in unexpected death of a loved one we become angry and resentful with God because we think God has wronged them and us of the short time we got to spend with them on this earth.   What we do not fully understand is that all souls created by God a- belong to God and we are just brief stewards of what God fully owns -for he is the one who created us and gave us what we have.

“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Ephesians 2:10

We are to take care of young, old, family, friend, neighbor, and even foe as if they belong to God- even if they don’t have a relationship with the LORD. 

So they might see… as we live as ambassadors of Christ, and come to the LORD and be not only saved in the LORD but have a more satisfying life that the LORD gives to those who trust Him.   

I believe the more we understand God is responsible for our life and others people’s life -the more we see life is truly in Him.  (Read that again.)

When a person tries to control what they can’t control there is no peace.  When a child, striving for control, disobeys the rules of the house - what ensues? What ensues when we try or presume we have control over our life?  Foolishness takes over does it not?  

For those living in God have to daily/hourly relinquish in thought and prayer what they thought they might have control over so they may have what God promises of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (Note Galatians 5:22-23)

Philippians 4:6-7 says “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

What is this saying to you about control, time, and your life? 

“Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. You ought instead to say, ‘If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing]’.  But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong. So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:13-17

How do you think about life, time and who has control?

I want to tell you about an event I heard in church years ago while the Lord had us living in a little eastern Washington town.   A family was heading to church camp.  The mother and father were in one car leading the way as the grandmother and granddaughter followed in a car behind them.   During the trip the granddaughter spoke up excitedly from the backseat.  “Jesus said he is taking me to heaven.”

The grandmother replied with what I understood as a kind presumption.  Something like…. “Yes one day you will be with Jesus in heaven.”

The little girl smiled and said, “No I am going now Grandma.”

It was then the grandmother’s car was struck by another car and instantly the precious child was killed.

This event and loss must have been more difficult then words can express… I am sure her mother and father had hopes for their daughter and thoughts about her future - as all parents do or should.  I am sure she is still thought about often as they live out the rest of their appointed time on this earth.  But even though this was a great loss- I think they find great comfort in their little girl’s recited excited words that came from the backseat that day and how she was instantly taken to be with Jesus to heaven.     

We often “feel” restrained by time but God, who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow is not and someday at our appointed time we, who have put our trust in Jesus, will be with Him.      

 Things maybe beautiful for a time but without God everything becomes meaningless- not to mention disheartening.  May the love of God, hope in God and faith in God encourage us always- in Jesus name Amen!