Category Archives: Messages

Access, Appearance, Bible, God's Will, Messages, Mind, Mystery, Presence, Promises, Revelation, Scripture

REVELATION BY THE SPIRIT

EPHESIANS 3:5

“which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;”

Revelations are pretty cool. What do I mean by that? I am not trying to be mystical or anything. Think about your everyday life. Sometimes things just “come” to you, as if the thought just popped out of nowhere. These revelations can be explained in a lot of ways – a subconscious thought, a memory, etc. But there were and still are some revelations that can only be explained by the Spirit.

Paul tells the Ephesians that this revelation he has received concerning the mystery of grace came from God through the Holy Spirit. This revelation, this apokaluptó, shows how this happened. The word means to take the cover off to reveal what has been hidden. The Holy Spirit has uncovered the secrets of grace to Paul and the other apostles and prophets. They have been given the privilege of understanding in order to teach it. It wasn’t their secret to keep. It was meant to be shared.

APPLICATION

What has God revealed to you? Jesus told us in Matthew 10:26, “‘So do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.’” He wants to reveal Himself to you fully. He wants you to know as much as you can handle about this wonderful thing called grace. He wants to use you to spread this revelation to others.

This “revealing” by the Spirit is not a one-time thing. God continues to reveal things to you at the right time. Look what Philippians 3:15 says. “Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well;” He checks your attitude. Now, who doesn’t need that?

I have said it multiple times in my blogs. God does not want to play hide-and-seek with you. He wants you to find Him. He is not hiding. He is standing right out in the open. Just look. Open your eyes and ask Him to show you what you need. He promises to come alongside us and walk with us. You can’t get much more revealing than that.

O Lord, You are a revealing God. Thank You for showing us Yourself in Your Son, Jesus

Standard
Bible, God's Will, Hidden, Messages, Mystery, Revelation, Scripture, Surprise

THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL

EPHESIANS 1:9

“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him,”

My wife and I love to watch murder-mysteries on television. Go ahead and judge us, lol. We can binge watch a series trying to figure out “who did it” in each episode. Of course, normally those mysteries are not revealed until the final few minutes of the program, or worse yet, continued to the next episode. We are kept guessing until the end.

That is not what Paul is referring to in today’s verse by using the word “mystery.” God isn’t trying to keep things hidden from us only to surprise us in the end. The Greek word is mustérion, which means “a mystery, secret, of which initiation is necessary; in the NT: the counsels of God, once hidden but now revealed in the Gospel or some fact thereof; the Christian revelation generally; particular truths or details of the Christian revelation.” (Strong’s Concordance).

APPLICATION

Look at some ways this word is used in the New Testament: Matthew 13:11 – the mysteries of the kingdom; 1 Corinthians 2:1 – the mystery of God; Ephesians 3:4 – the mystery of Christ; Ephesians 6:19 – the mystery of the gospel. I could go on and list more. It is used 26 times in the New Testament. God did keep hidden some mysteries which have been revealed through Christ. His plan for the Gentiles was hidden until Christ came, for instance.

Let me ask you something. What is something you know now about God that you did not know ten years ago? Why is that? Was God hiding it from you? Probably not. We discover the mysteries of God the more we spend time with Him. I have been married over 38 years and am still discovering mysteries about my wife. I pray that never stops.

In the same way, as you grow in your faith, God continues to reveal His mysteries to you. Remember the scene in “A Few Good Men” when Jack Nicholson’s character, after being challenged for the truth by Tom Cruise’s defense attorney character? Nicholson shouts, “You can’t handle the truth.” Well, the truth is we couldn’t all the truth God has for us if He dumped it all on us when we first come to Christ. He reveals, He uncovers His mysteries to us as we are ready. Are you ready for more?

Show me more, Lord. I want to know You better each day.

Standard
Bible, Blessing, Faith, Faithfulness, Greetings, Letters, Love, Messages, Scripture

THE FAITHFUL

EPHESIANS 1:1

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are  at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:”

How you begin a letter can set the tone for the rest. It may determine whether the reader will actually read the rest of the letter. For instance, if you received a letter from a company to which you had applied for a job, and it started with “We regret to inform you,” you would probably just throw it in the trash. Let’s look at how Paul, the apostle with the most letters in the New Testament, starts Ephesians.

Paul knew how to start. Look at how he addresses the readers. He calls them “saints” and “faithful.” Paul loved these people, many he had personally met during his time there, because of their love for Christ. Paul spent over two years there teaching them how to live in Christ. Now, as he sits in a Roman prison (his first imprisonment), he is thinking about them and writes to further instruct them.

APPLICATION

Are you faithful? Is this a word that would be used to describe you? If I were to have a tombstone, I would want it to read, “Here lies the remains of Carl Willis, a faithful servant of Christ.” What could be more flattering? In Matthew 25:21 we read this regarding the master’s words to his slave to whom he had given the talents while he was gone. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’” Isn’t that what you want to hear from Jesus?

In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says this about Timothy. “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.” Paul didn’t hand out that description lightly. He saw faithfulness in the life of Timothy and told others.

We are faithful to our Lord because He is always faithful. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there when we are low and when we are high. He is there in our hurts and our joys. God is the Faithful One. I pray your faithfulness will grow. I pray you will strive to please the One who has given you everything. Be faithful.

Father, thank You for giving me a faith that grows and grows.

Standard
Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Farewells, Goodbyes, Grace, Love, Messages, Scripture

FAREWELLS

GALATIANS 6:18

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen”

Saying goodbye can be hard. When you know you probably won’t see someone for a long time, it can be even harder. My daughter had a baby shower recently, and a lot of her friends came. Some were her friends from high school. I had the privilege to see a couple of them before they left our home. When they left, we hugged, knowing it may be years before we see each other again. I love those girls (they will always be girls to me) and look forward to our next visit.

Paul signs off this letter to the Galatians with a simple but heartfelt goodbye. He wishes them grace but not just any grace. He wishes them “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice he said “our” and not “your.” He joins himself with them. They are brothers in faith. You may notice in your translation that “and sisters” is italicized. These words are not in the original Greek but are implied. Paul would not mean to imply that he was leaving the women out. He just addresses the men. Then he wishes this grace upon their spirit. A comforting last thought.

APPLICATION

Matthew Henry says this about verse 18. “We need desire no more to make us happy than the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle does not pray that the law of Moses, or the righteousness of works, but that the grace of Christ, might be with them; that it might be in their hearts and with their spirits, quickening, comforting, and strengthening them: to all which he sets his Amen; signifying his desire that so it might be, and his faith that so it would be.” What a great way to explain these last words.

If you had to write a letter to someone today, knowing you may never see them again, what would you say? How would you close the letter? Jesus’ last words to us are in Matthew 28:18-20. “18 ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.;” That’s quite a sendoff.

How about the very last words of the Bible in Revelation 22:20-21? “20 He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Isn’t it interesting that John closes the Bible with the same words – the grace of the Lord Jesus? When you have experienced His grace, goodbyes to fellow believers are not forever. We will see each other again. Amen?

Thank You, Lord, for securing my future so that my goodbyes are just temporary.

Standard
Belief, Bible, Calling, Direction, God's Will, Hearing, Listening, Messages, Persuasion, Scripture

WHO’S CALLING?

GALATIANS 5:8

“This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.”

Have you ever been tricked by someone on a phone call? I used to occasionally call the office secretary when I was on a road trip and disguise my voice. I would pretend to be a donor who wanted to donate some wild and outlandish thing (which actually happened more times than you can imagine) just to make her squirm a little and figure out how to answer this person. Of course, towards the end of the call she would recognize it was me and threaten me bodily harm when I returned. Lol

Paul is warning the Galatians and us in today’s verse to be careful who you answer to, to make sure you know who is actually calling you. The Greek word for “persuasion” is only used here in Galatians 5:8. It refers to a self-produced persuasion. In other words, they decided themselves to believe this caller. It was not God who was calling them to keep the Mosaic law and deny their freedom in Christ.

APPLICATION

Matthew Poole’s Commentary says this about “Him who calls you,” “is not from God, who hath called you out of darkness into marvellous light, unto fellowship with himself, into a state of grace and favour with him, and to the hopes of eternal life; and who yet calleth you by his gospel: it must therefore be from the devil and his instruments, who go about to seduce and pervert you.”

Think about Poole’s words for a second. It is God who has called you out of darkness into marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9), into fellowship with Himself (1 John 1:3), into grace and favor (1 Peter 2:20, and to the hopes of eternal life (1 Peter 5:10). It seems Poole liked 1 Peter, didn’t he? It is God who calls us to these things. He isn’t adding on to His requirements.

The next time you hear a voice directing you to do something, make sure it is the voice of God and not His arch enemy attempting to disguise his voice and imitate God. Remember, the devil will never ask you to do anything that will glorify the Father or the Son. It will only be about you, what will make you happy. Listen closely. Learn to recognize His voice.

Father, it is sweet to hear Your voice and recognize that You love me beyond words or deeds.

Standard
Bible, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Messages, Scripture, Submission, Testimony

IN CONCLUSION

GALATIANS 4:31

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.”

How many times have you heard a speaker say, “In conclusion,” and then continue speaking for another 15-30 minutes? Preachers are notorious for that (I say that as one). Sometimes, the neatest conclusion is short and sweet. We don’t need to ramble. We just need to wrap it up!  Amen?

Paul wraps up his discussion in verses 21-31 with this last statement in today’s verse. The Greek word used for “So then” is a little conjuction, dio, which could be translated “therefore” or “wherefore.” Paul closes this discussion of the free woman (Sarah) and the slave woman (Hagar) by simply saying we are free in Christ. We belong to the promise made to Abraham and Sarah.

APPLICATION

How can you wrap it up today? We do not need to be dragging things out, do we? What do I mean by that? God had given each of us a message to deliver as believers in Christ. We need to learn to deliver that message succinctly and clearly. We do not need to preach a sermon to deliver the message. Tell what Christ has done in your life. Share your story.

Take a look at Paul’s testimony, which is told three times in the book of Acts. One of those is in Acts 26. I won’t put the whole text here. You can read that for yourself in verses 2-23. The point is – Paul wasn’t bragging on himself or what he had done for Jesus. He was bragging on Jesus. That’s our testimony. In conclusion, that’s all that matters – what He has done in our life.

We all need to have those two or three stories we can tell someone about the workings of Jesus in our life. How He answered a prayer. How He met a need. How we saw His healing power in the life of a loved one. We all have those stories, but we don’t file them away for quick access. In conclusion…keep it simple. Let the Holy Spirit speak through you. He will if you and I will submit to His leading.

Lord, I know I have the tendency to ramble. Help me keep my testimony short and sweet.

Standard
Angels, Battles, Bible, Choices, Dependence, Disciplemaking, God's Will, Messages, Scripture, Witnessing

AN ANGEL OF GOD

GALATIANS 4:14

“and you did not despise that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition, nor express contempt, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.” 

Perhaps you have heard of an evangelist by the name of David Ring (davidring.org). David has cerebral palsy and often refers to it as he preaches. He is known to say, “I have cerebral palsy. What’s your problem?” Some people may be offended by David’s brazen portrayal of the Gospel. In fact, he has been arrested for street preaching against some immoral activity in businesses. But that does not deter David from sharing the message the Lord has given him.

Paul, undoubtedly, had a fairly serious malady while in Galatia. This verse hints at something that may have offended the Galatians. Perhaps his ailment was disfiguring in some way. Maybe an infection caused him to have a physical appearance which could cause some people to turn away. But he praises these Galatians for accepting him “as an angel of God, as Christ Himself.” Their acceptance of him in this condition obviously meant a lot to Paul.

APPLICATION

Okay, here is where the rubber meets the road. What excuse are you using for not sharing the Gospel? Carl, I’m too old. Carl, I’m too weak. Carl, I just too busy. We all have excuses, don’t we? Paul could have used his physical ailment as an excuse (and an understandable one) to take a break until he was better. Look how he describes this in 2 Corinthians 12:7. “Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!”

After asking the Lord to rid him of this “thorn in the flesh” and having that request refused, Paul says this later in that same chapter. “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Can you say that about the excuse you are giving? Will you lay down your excuses and allow the Lord to use you just as you are?

God can use anyone anywhere at any time if they will only submit to His will. Ask the Lord today to show you His will for your life. Ask Him to give you His message to share with others. He will. He’s just waiting on you.

Father, take my weakness and make it strong with Your power and might.

Standard
AMAZED, Angels, Appearance, Bible, God's Will, Heaven, Messages, Scripture

ANGELS?

GALATIANS 3:19

“Why the Law then? It was added on account of the violations, having been ordered through angels at the hand of a mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”

I know people who have had personal encounters with angels. Now, before you stop reading and mark me off as crazy, why should that amaze you? God has used angels all through history to deliver His messages to individuals. He has sent angels to protect and defend the innocent. So, let’s take a look at some angels today.

Paul speaks of an angelic event that is less familiar. A very strong rabbinical teaching centered around the angelic presence at the time the Law was given. Look at Deuteronomy 33:2. “He said, ‘The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of myriads of holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.’” That “myriads of holy ones” refers to ten thousands of angels. Pretty cool.

APPLICATION

Okay Carl, let’s see you apply this verse to our lives. Don’t you see? We are surrounded by angels. One of my favorite verses has to do with children having their angels. Jesus said in Matthew 18:10, “‘See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.’” Did you catch that? “their angels in heaven.

How about the passage that talks about our unknown encounters with angels? Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” I want you to understand that angels are really an everyday thing. We should not be surprised if we have the blessing of such a meeting. I could have gone on and on listing more and more about angels in the Word. Why don’t you do a word search of angels? It might just surprise you.

Let me encourage you, though, should you have an encounter, don’t go around telling everyone. You might get locked up in a hospital, lol. Most people don’t have a box for such things. But we know, as believers in Christ, that He can and does use these heavenly hosts when it is appropriate. Until then, just serve Jesus. Don’t spend your time looking for angels. Spend your time living for Jesus and looking for His return.

And the angels cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come.”

Standard
Abiding, Belief, Calling, God's Will, Gospel, Indwelling, Messages, Scripture

HE IS AT WORK

GALATIANS 2:8

“(for He who was at work for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised was at work for me also to the Gentiles),”

I am not a finished product. I am reminded of a song that was popular in the 70’s entitled, “He’s Still Workin’ on Me.” Here are some of the lyrics:

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart
Don’t judge him yet, there’s an unfinished part
But I’ll be better just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master’s loving hands

He’s still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me

I believe Paul knew he wasn’t a finished product. The same God who had called Peter to the Jews had called him to the Gentiles. The message was the same – Jesus died to save mankind from their sins. As educated as Paul was as a Pharisee, he knew it was God who had done the work in him necessary to deliver His message.

APPLICATION

It does not matter how you came to Christ; it was not anything you did to deserve it. You have not arrived. Neither have I. Philippians 2:13 tells us, “or it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.” Paul says again in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

So, if God is at work in you and me, what is that for? For ourselves? Well, yes that’s true. But there is so much more to it. He wants to use His workmanship to accomplish so much in the world. Will you let Him use you?

Praise You, Lord, for working on me. I know I am not the easiest substance to mold sometimes.

Standard
Abiding, Appointed, Bible, Calling, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Listening, Messages, Scripture, Testimony

IN ME

GALATIANS 1:16

“to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,”

God has allowed me to minister to others for almost 45 years. My calling occurred soon after I was saved, and I served my first church at age 18. How did I know God was calling me to full-time ministry? He spoke to me through His Holy Spirit. He gave me a burden for the Gospel. It is hard to put into words because it happened internally. I didn’t hear this audible voice from heaven. He spoke to my spirit.

Paul explains his calling in today’s verse. We know of his conversion on the Damascus road detailed in Acts 9. But here he explains that internal calling. The Greek really explains this better. It says, “apokalysai..en emoi.” Let me explain. That reads “to reveal…in me.” The little word en is the key. It means it operates on the inside. Paul was telling us that God, through His Holy Spirit, spoke to him so that he could speak to others.

APPLICATION

Listen closely. You have to be changed on the inside before you have anything to say on the outside. Your testimony begins inwardly. God does a work in you. He begins to reveal Himself to you. Why? So you can tell others. It’s not for you to keep to yourself. Jeremiah the prophet described it this way when he said he just couldn’t keep God’s message inside. “Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire.”

What has God revealed in you? I can’t speak for you. Only you know that. But one thing is for sure – you won’t hear what God is revealing unless you are looking for it and listening for Him. I’m reading a book right now by Henry and Richard Blackaby entitled, “Hearing God’s Voice.” Now, don’t get spooked by the title. It’s not a mystical teaching. They literally look at how God spoke through the Old and New Testament to His saints. And they also talk about how God speaks to us today.

Are you listening? Do you want God to reveal His message to you? You see, if He does that, then He expects you to share it. Can you do that? Can you share God’s revelations to you? Sure, you can. He will do it through you. Just trust Him. He has something to say and wants to use you.

O Father, use me as Your mouthpiece to a lost world.

P.S. You can always know it is God speaking because if it is, it will be confirmed by His Word.

Standard