Forgive Future Sins?

Hi WordPress world. I read this article on Guy Dunnicks Facebook page, and messaged him asking his permission to repost it. Enjoy!

Are All Future Sins Pre-forgiven ?

There are some ministers who teach that all the sins of all believers — past, present, and future sins — are already forgiven. They teach that for Christians, every past sin they have committed, every present sin they are committing, and every future sin they might commit is already forgiven. When we study Scripture, however, it is clear that although all the past sins of believers are forgiven, future sins are not pre-forgiven.

It is absolutely true, of course, that the full measure of Jesus’ blood has already been shed, once and for all, and that He will not “re-suffer” or “re-die” or “re-shed His blood.” The full retainer of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross is available and the completeness of His saving work is capable to meet whatever “forgiveness demands” become present in any believer’s life. That does not mean, however, that all the future sins believers might commit are “pre-forgiven.” Although everything necessary for the forgiveness and cleansing of every sin of every person in every generation and at all places — from Adam and Eve up to the last baby that will ever be born; for both sinners and saints — has been provided through the incredible and super-abundant one time and once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ in His suffering, in His shedding of blood, and in His death, that does not mean that all the sins of all believers are “pre-forgiven.”

It is true, of course, that believers will be forgiven and cleansed of any sin they commit in the future because the necessary provision for the forgiveness of their sins is already in place. Jesus is the propitiation, not only for the sins of sinners, but also for the sins of believers. The blood of Jesus Christ is effectual to cleanse any sins that any believer may commit [I John 1:7]. But believers’ sins are not forgiven BEFORE they are committed; they are forgiven AFTER they are committed.

We could compare the abundant provision of Jesus’ shed blood which the Father planned and Jesus provided for the forgiveness of all sins of all people — past, present, and future — to a good earthly father who, because of his love for his children and his foresight, made a financial deposit into a bank that was so substantial, it could cover every possible future need that might arise in the lives of any and all of the children he might ever have. All the necessary health insurances and life insurances, and medical aid, and lawyers, and legal aid, and anything else that was necessary or might become necessary could be met by the substantial provision that had been put in place by the father before he even had any children. Any time that any of his children had a crisis or a need, or any time a bill “came due,” a draw could be made from the substantial account at the bank and everything that needed to be covered would be covered in full. Although the provision to cover every bill and pay every debt and meet every need was already put in place long before it was needed, the bills and debts and needs would only be paid when they “came due.”

This is exactly what our heavenly Father did for all His children in the New Covenant. He put in place for all lost sinners who He loved and for all of His children who were already saved the full provision of the saving work of Jesus Christ. Everything that might ever need to be dealt with or payed for in the future, including the sins that believers would commit, could be dealt with and payed for. What God pre-planned and pre-provisioned in the New Covenant to deal with the forgiveness and cleansing of believers’ sins — the provision of the precious and powerful cleansing blood of Jesus — is an account so richly funded that there will never be a “debt” incurred by any sinner’s sin or by any saint’s sin that cannot be immediately “paid in full.” As the apostle John revealed in I John 1:7, in I John 2:1-2, and in several other places in his first epistle, true believers can continue to experience, in the present — in “real time” — the forgiveness and cleansing of any sins they commit. Although the provision for the forgiveness of those sins was put in place long before the Father God had any children, the sins that believers commit are forgiven after they are committed, not before.

Earlier in our study, we learned that when believers walk in the light as God is in the light, “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth [them] from all sin” [I John 1:7]. In this verse, the Greek word katharizei that the English word “cleansing” is translated from is in the third person, present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. We know, then, that the cleansing John was referring to in this verse was neither a past cleansing or a future cleansing, but was an ongoing cleansing; a cleansing that was happening “in the present.” This ongoing cleansing was being accomplished by a “third person” — the blood of Jesus Christ. According to John, the cleansing of believers’ sins by the blood of Jesus is a present, continuous, and ongoing cleansing. It is obvious, then, that believers’ future sins have not been “pre-forgiven.”

In I John 2:1-2, John informed his spiritual children that if they sinned, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” John also revealed that believers have had provided for them a propitiation for their sin; the same Jesus Christ. According to John, Jesus is presently believers’ advocate with the Father, pleading their cases before Him if they sin. According to John, Jesus is presently the propitiation for believers’ sins, dealing with whatever sins they have committed to ensure that there is no impediment in their relationship with the Father. If it was true that every future sin of every believer had already been pre-forgiven, there would be no need for an advocate with the Father. If it was true that all future sins of believers were pre-forgiven, believers would not need a propitiation for their sins.

It is interesting that in our primary text, I John 1:9, John wrote that God, “is [present tense] faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Notice that John did not write that God was [past tense] faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It is clear from John’s words in I John 1:9 that the forgiveness and cleansing of believers’ sins occurs AFTER they are committed. That means, of course, that all future sins have not yet been forgiven.

If every past, present, and future sin was forgiven at the moment a person first believed and was saved, then no believer would need to be cleansed of his sins by the blood of Jesus as he walked in the light [I John 1:7]. No believer would need an advocate with the Father or a propitiation for their sins [I John 2:1-2]. And no believer would need to be forgiven of their sins and cleansed [I John 1:9]. If every future sin was already forgiven, then the blood of Jesus would not be continually cleansing believers of their sins, having an advocate to plead before the Father would be unnecessary, and a “propitiation for our sins” would be unnecessary. John’s teaching clearly reveals that the sins believers commit are forgiven AFTER they are committed, not BEFORE.

This is an excerpt from Guy Dunnicks upcoming book:

“Must We Confess Our Sins?”

Its a 200 plus page study on 1 Jn 1:9

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, where you have appeared distant, and I have sinned against you, show me my terror, that I might humbly ask Your forgiveness and find grace in Your sight today, restored fully to fellowship to You through Jesus precious blood, Amen’

Guy Dunnick heads up ‘Masters Touch’ Ministries here in Tulsa: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Guy-Duininck-Masters-Touch-Ministries

Judge Not? Judging like Jesus..

Judging like Jesus!

Been meditating on the concept of how Jesus judges. Watched the movie, ‘The Shack’ recently, and it got me to thinking. I remember one scene in the movie, where God the Father (appearing as a wonderful black woman) was asked “Why don’t you judge them?”

With raised eyebrows she said: “Judge?”

The overwhelming theme of the movie is how incredibly complex human lives are, and how far God will go in love to reach out and heal and redeem shattered people.

Clearly God is love, and hates evil, yet operates in love above and beyond all evil.

Got to thinking about some Scriptures.

Remember the woman caught in adultery?

Let’s look at it together:

John 8:

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

² And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

³ And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

⁴ They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

⁵ Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

⁶ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

⁷ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

⁸ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

⁹ And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

¹⁰ When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

We see in this reading, that Jesus was called to judge in the case of the woman caught in adultery. Many have commented on His great mercy towards the woman, and the wisdom of His judgement on her behalf, standing against the corrupted judgement of the religious leaders of the day. Obviously, for adultery to have occurred, there had to be two participants, and the man was conspicuously absent from this mock trial and potential stoning.

Yet, Jesus was able to render true judgement in this case, and in His judgement, I believe there was grace imparted to the woman, power from God, to empower her to be able to do, what He told her to do: Go, and sin no more.

Yet, today as I meditated upon the Word, seeking the will of our Father for my life, I see something here that I suspected for many times, and that is the relationship between personal holiness and purity of heart, and the power of God displayed.

Normally, judgement is rendered out of the mouth of two or three witnesses. The question logically might be: How do we know if the witnesses are telling the truth? Secondly, what do we do if the society has become so corrupt, that no honest witnesses can be found?

Jesus heart was revealed in His relationship with our Father, in this:

John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Jesus walk with our Father, was from birth to the cross, in absolute purity, and sinless perfection.

I believe that we are called to walk this way also.

The question is how do we get there, and how do we judge or make decisions?

What about these verses?

Matt 7:1 ¶ Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Here we see a direct commandment not to judge people.

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

How on earth, are we supposed to do that?

Answer? This is only possible by correctly applying the Word of God, and accurately hearing the voice of Jesus in the earth, the Holy Spirit!

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

In all of these Scriptures, we see that we are forbidden to judge other people, yet what about these verses:

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Does Jesus still have authority to judge? Surely.

Question is, as His representatives and ambassadors in the earth, how do we judge?

1 Cor 4:1 ¶ Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

I believe there is a place in obedience to the Holy Spirit, whereby Jesus reveals to us, as leaders, His judgments and decrees in the earth, and that these must be received by direct revelation from the heart and lips of our Father in heaven.

The challenge is what to do with what He shows us?

Are we to pray, prophesy, preach, confront?

This takes wisdom, because sometimes, because He loves us, He simply shows us things, to protect or bring understanding to us, and our families.

Sometimes the best I can do in these situations, where others are set in THEIR ways to do against the revealed will of God, is to quietly walk away and remove myself from them.

I have learned to seek purity of heart and motive.

Why?

Mt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

I, like you, need to see God, clearly, so that I might know the will of the Father. Only when I see and hear Him, can I honestly obey, with a right motive, and judge correctly. He is Lord, I am not, I am nothing but a steward over His work, His Creation. Yet, there are times, when I must stand bold against sin, sickness, demons, and the constructs of the agendas of men and their worldly agendas.

Our job is always to endeavor to obey Him, no matter what!

2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

As we obey, we will see more and more power of God manifest in the earth:

Ac 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

As a witness, I need to see something: either His plan, purpose, presence or revealed will in a situation, or perhaps to an event that He performed, a sign, wonder, miracle, that I can testify about. When I witness the Holy Spirit bears witness, and He graciously shows up in my life, as I obey Him!

This, and this alone allows me to judge situations, people, and even governments!

When this happens, I can take His authority, and war for His will in the earth, declaring His decrees and watching as He establishes these in power, as I believe His Word!

You can too!

Let’s Pray:

“Father, I believe that all judgement still belongs to Jesus. He is Lord, and I am His. Jesus, show me your will for my life, my family, my church, my community, my state, and my country. In every area these are not in alignment with your will and your Word, anoint me to arise in violent faith, and to blast every enemy, and to establish your kingdom through your Word declared. Thank you for signs, wonders and miracles establishing your Word in the earth. Amen’

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

God Cannot Lie

Whether a broken treaty, contract, marriage covenant, with people – God cannot lie, and He will not fail you. No matter how deeply you have been betrayed, He will never do it. He is love, He is holy, and He will only tell you the truth – no games. Jesus is Lord!

Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Let’s Pray:
‘Father, you see, you have seen, You know, You understand, You forgive, and You love. Heal my shattered heart, restore me from what has been done, for You alone can, Creator of heaven and earth. In Your name I pray Lord Jesus, AMEN”

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

Four Stages of MANHOOD – Man Up!

Manhood – Part Two

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things

 

As you recall, we are talking about the development of men of God, generally in four stages that were: boyhood, manhood, fatherhood, and the age of the patriarch.

 

No matter how great our earthly family may have been, we are now part of the royal family of God, training for reigning with Jesus!

 

As always, we begin and end with the Word of God!

 

Training and discipline can develop our soul, forge our will, but the Word of God has the power to change our very heart motives….

 

Ephesians 4:14

that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

 

1 Corinthians 14:20

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

 

Hebrews 12:5

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

 

Galatians 4:19

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you

 

Fathers in the faith, pray, for us to grow up spiritually, to embrace our manhood, to rise up to honor and responsibility in this fight of faith in this generation.

 

 

2 Timothy 3:15

and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus

 

We teach our children the Scriptures, but it is our life of honor that they watch!

 

Back in the days when I used to pastor, we used to do a ‘passage of rites’ ceremony with young men and women between the ages of 13-18. I took the idea from a book I read by an author named Craig Hill, where he teaches on the development of boys into men: http://www.promisekeepers.org.nz/bar_mitzvah.html

 

I agree with Craig, as I have endeavoured to learn protocol, the traditions and cultures of the host peoples of North America, North American Indians. In many tribes, a boy becomes a brave or warrior, only after their initiation ceremony, where acts of bravery needed to be exhibited. In some tribes, a young man had to ‘count coup’ riding up to an enemy with his ‘coup stick’ and touching him without being killed, and riding away in victory, having ‘counted coup.’ In other tribes, there were ‘rites of passage’ ceremonies that included running through tunnels of pain, where seasoned warriors beat them with sticks, or culturally required acts of bravery, where they had to complete a vision quest, or spend a night blindfolded in the forest over night.

From what I understand in the Jewish Bar Mitzva ceremony, boys were expected to go to work with their fathers after school, to learn responsibility, earn money and learn how to manage it, and become men.

 

What we used to do, is plan ahead, and get either the fathers, uncles, grandparents or older men in a young man’s life to write a declaration of honor, love and respect to be read over the young man. We would tape a line on the carpet, and all the men in the church would come forward to the front side of the line. The young teens would stand on the outer side of the tape. I would read a proclamation declaring that this day, they were forever leaving boyhood, to become strong men of honor, embracing the risks and responsibilities of manhood in their community, standing strong for their families, against evil in society, as men. I would present them with some token of manhood (usually a pocket knife, although some dads gave firearms etc), and then had the prepared proclamations of blessing read over each one by their elders. I would then have them leave childhood forever, by stepping across the line. All of us men would then lay hands upon them and pray and proclaim blessing over each participant.

 

Saw dramatic change in young peoples lives! Young gangsters would suddenly leave criminal lifestyles, and often join cadets, or get job to help at home. Shoulders would square up, and chests would swell with pride, as they embraced the call to be men!

 

This is so needed today! With a 50-60% divorce rate in America, boys are not taught to be men, and we, the church must rise to the challenge, and become fathers to the fatherless, accepting, affirming, challenging, exhorting, and discipling and calling forth warriors of righteousness for this generation!

 

 

Whether it was the Jewish Bar Mitzvah ceremony, or getting ‘jumped into’ a street gang, it is clearly part of the process for boys to become men, warriors, through initiation ceremony by the men of the community or tribe.

 

Seems this has been forgotten in many sectors of North American society, but the hunger in the heart of every man will be fulfilled in battle, or the essential part of him dies…

So much can be said here, but I will say this, after years in Promise Keepers, my childhood growing up on military bases as the son of a military officer, or in the various men’s ministries in which I have participated over the years, that boys must become men! Sure warriors get wounded in battle, but the church is the army of God! We have an infirmary, and there should be no man left behind, but make no mistake about it, we are an army, the army of God, called and commissioned to fight!

Luke 19:13

And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

Matthew 16:18

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

 

Recognizing the huge hole in this culture by fatherless families, I built and co-owned a construction company for many years simply, primarily, to take boys, and make men out of them.

Read a quote by another author I respect:

From a sermon entitled: ‘Fathered by God, by John Eldredge’

“In the lesson, John touched on some topics that he covered in his bestselling book Wild At Heart, such as answering the question that plagues all men: “Do I have what it takes?” But he also introduced six new stages of initiation that he has taken his boys through that have proved to be great steps for Christian discipleship.

 

According to Eldredge, all men have to go through these steps to become whole and holy men. It begins with “Boyhood,” where a boy learns that he is the “Beloved Son” and entirely delighted in by his father. Then, it moves into “Cowboy,” where the young man must experience adventure and danger (think: David’s teenage years of battling lions and bears as a shepherd). Following that, the boy becomes a “Warrior,” often leaving home to pursue a cause or a mission.

At roughly the same time (but hopefully not before) the man is learning that life is a battle, the Warrior must learn to fight for his beloved and become a “Lover,” but still remaining a warrior for the rest of his life. Many years later, with the right humility and direction, the Warrior-Lover becomes a “King.” That is, the man steps into true leadership and responsibility, guiding and directing the lives of others. And lastly, he finishes his latter years as a “Sage,” sharing his wisdom with other men and women, guiding them in their journey.”

If you haven’t read John’s book: Wild at Heart, I highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Heart-Discovering-Secret-Mans-ebook/dp/B00527N04O/ref=dp_kinw_strp_exp_1_1

In short, John calls his stages of manhood by different names, but the principals are the same.

 

Let’s talk about the transition from boyhood to manhood for a minute.

I’ve noticed that boys all go through what John calls the ‘cowboy’ stage,  warriorhood.

I watch young men race cars, ride bulls, become soldiers, martial arts experts, hunters, adventurers, because I believe God created all men with this natural ‘wild side’.

Becoming a man is becoming a warrior, developing courage under control.  I watch young men all making their mark in the world, joining the military, oil industry, rodeo, construction, or any other rough and ready world. Testosterone going somewhere to happen, working long brutal hours in the face of real danger to life and limb, to make their mark on this generation.

Like David before confronting Goliath: 1 Samuel 17:29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

 

Yes, there is a cause! Freedom has never been free, just pick your battlefield, enlist in God’s army, and fight!

Whether in prayer, preaching, missions, business, education, military, cival services, finance, or media, truth is a sword, and there are battles to be fought.

No matter what stage you are at in your life, there are injustices to be confronted, but like the wise mentor of Willam Wallace in the movie ‘Braveheart’,  ‘First the mind, then the sword!’

Get educated, skilled, and choose your battles wisely, so that as you fight, you fight to win!

Seemed when I had my construction company, I would have to throw a rope on those often unbroken wild men, and teach them respect, responsibility, faithfulness, dependability, keeping your word, craftsmanship, and directed work ethic, without breaking their spirit, and still keeping the fire in them!

I am raising up men of honor, respectful, full of honesty, integrity, excellence, but when they look you in the eye, they look right through you, because there is still fire and steel there!

I’ve noticed this about myself: if I go too long simply keeping the schedule, making the deadlines, and punching the clock, I get to feeling like a hamster on a treadmill: running hard, but going no where.

There must be some mountain to climb, race to run, adrenaline pumping fast machine to drive, water-skiing, or some other impossible task or death defying deed in my schedule, or I quietly die inside. Gone through months of numbness, physically showing up, but not really alive!

Do something radical! Go on a mission trip to a different country, language, culture – confront the oppression, the poverty, the ignorance and fight for the oppressed!

Maybe you are called as a soldier or law enforcement agent, to literally take on crime and the ‘bad guys’ on the front lines. Everyone hates a bully – don’t be one, but be strong enough to dethrone any merchandizing the weak – the drug lords, the child sex traffickers, the pimps and religious bullies who beat women and children. Dad served 32 years in the navy and his counsel is still valid:

Real Men don’t hit women, they stand strong in defense of women and children.

Ok, enough sharing for a bit, if I go longer, you won’t take time to read it.

I’m pretty big on action so here’s some things you can do:

1. If you have never been affirmed as a man, take this article to your pastor men’s group, and have them first of all affirm you, and pray that God complete you as a man, a warrior, and eventually as a husband, father, and responsible member of society.
2. If you had a dad (what a concept!), and you have been through a ‘passage of rites’ type of ceremony, create one in your community. Deliberately reach out to teens and young men, and call them to excellence, warriorhood, responsibility, and honor. If your pastor is not interested, organize some sort of men’s advance (the army of God never retreats), and get in touch with me, and I will come preach and lead it.
3. Not sure what the next men’s movement in America is going to look like. Promise Keepers in its day was a powerful force for good, full gospel businessman had a day in the sun too. Whatever it’s called, get involved, and get your business, family, and church on board too. Manhood means excellence, honor, holiness – Man up!Father, I come before you today with my brother. I ask You Father to do for me, what no man can do: put into me all the things a perfect father would have if he could have. Pour into me the courage, boldness, affirmation, strength, passion and fire I need to radically impact my world, and restore to me all the things I never got growing up. Cause me to walk in honor, free from profanity, bullying, cowardice, perversion, pornography, lying, and develop in me an excellent spirit, strong in You and the power of Your might. I ask Father, knowing I am heard and answered, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen!”

Let’s Pray:

Father, I come before you today with my brother. I ask You Father to do for me, what no man can do: put into me all the things a perfect father would have if he could have. Pour into me the courage, boldness, affirmation, strength, passion and fire I need to radically impact my world, and restore to me all the things I never got growing up. Cause me to walk in honor, free from profanity, bullying, cowardice, perversion, pornography, lying, and develop in me an excellent spirit, strong in You and the power of Your might. I ask Father, knowing I am heard and answered, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen!”

If forever reason, you have not come to God on His terms yet, here’s what He expects:https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/the-gospel-the-power-of-god/

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

Email: chris.aomministries@gmail.com

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Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

Paul goes on to say, that he did not use his position as a minister of the gospel to take up offerings, rather he worked, making tents, to support himself. You might notice here, that Paul was not married, nor did he have children. Family responsibilities take time, and just as you bust a move on your job to provide for your family, I work every bit as hard, doing this, faithful to the Lord in prayer and the ministry of His Word, to you.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

Matt 10: 41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

Genesis 22:17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

 

The Pulpit is Responsible for it!

As I read this quote this morning I feel pricked in my conscience:

The Pulpit is Responsible for it!

One of America’s eminent Pastors, Charles G. Finney wrote, “Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it. Let us not ignore this fact, my dear brethren; but let us lay it to heart, and be thoroughly awake to our responsibility in respect to the morals of this nation.”

Read a couple verses this morning, and encouraged myself in the responsibility I have as a minister to preach the Word!

2 Corinthians 2:17

You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

The Word of God will change people!

Not my works, not my efforts, but my prayer, clear, bold deliverance of the Word, and the power of Holy Spirit demonstrated.

There is no plan B.

Jesus set the example:

Mark 2:2

Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them

Luke 5:1

[ The First Disciples ] One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to theword of God.

For this the disciples prayed:

Acts 4:29

And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.

³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and ^[w]signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy ^[x]servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

The world does not need sermons; it needs a message. You can go to seminary and learn how to preach sermons, but you will have to go to God to get messages. 

Oswald J. Smith

Acts 8:25

After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.

Acts 11:19

[ The Church in Antioch of Syria ] Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.

John Wesley used to ask his young men whom he had sent out to preach on probation two questions: “Has any one been converted?” and “Did any one get mad?” If the answer was “No,” he told them he did not think the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel, and sent them about their business. When the Holy Ghost convicts of sin, people are either converted or they don’t like it, and get mad. 

Moody’s Anecdotes, P. 123

Acts 13:5

There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant.

Acts 13:44

[ Paul Turns to the Gentiles ] The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.

There is a tale told of that great English actor Macready. An eminent preacher once said to him: “I wish you would explain to me something.” “Well, what is it? I don’t know that I can explain anything to a preacher.” “What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all.” Macready’s answer was this: “This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction.” 

G. Campbell Morgan, Preaching, p. 36

Acts 14:25

They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.

Acts 15:35

Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord there.

Acts 18:5

And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

2 Timothy 2:9

And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.

This is our command, our responsibility – Preach the WORD!

Let’s pray:

‘Father, may I be faithful to You, your will and your word, to preach, faithfully your commandments, without compromise! May I not shy from Your harder truths, teaching all men and women to live holy lives, fully obedient to You. Please grant me grace, strength, and fresh fire to get this done, for Your great name’s sake Lord Jesus! Amen”

Even miracles and God’s presence will NOT always cause a person to repent!

The Presence of God, and gifts of the spirit, will not change a human heart….

As I read this passage, I am reminded of so many I have met over the years:

1 Sam 19:19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.

22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.

23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Surely, we see a divine encounter with the kingdom of God here. Let’s think about what is going on here.

Saul disobeyed God, and the kingdom was stripped from him. The anointing of God was taken from him, and given to David, and an evil spirit came upon Saul. Saul, hates David, because he sees in him, that which he lacks in himself: courage, bravery, excellence of spirit, purity of heart, and a heart that is in love with God Himself.

Despite the fact that Saul has been throwing spears at him, and hunting him to kill him, David, on the run, refuses to take Saul’s life, and he continually cries out to God on behalf of Saul. Yet, Saul, determined to keep the kingdom, continually sends soldiers to attempt to kill David, and David, by hearing intimately the voice of God, is able to avoid them, every time.

Why did God allow David all those years in the wilderness running from Saul? I think it is because:

David had to hear God accurately, in life or death situations, if he was ever going to be fit to be king.

In this account, David has run for refuge from Saul to Samuel’s house, and they are having a revival meeting where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are very much in operation, so much so that when Saul’s soldiers come chasing David there, they are arrested by the Spirit of God, and find themselves prophesying under the anointing of God.

Saul does not want to hear this, so sends two more sets of messengers to Ramah, and each time, they too succumb to the power of God, and find themselves prophesying by the Spirit of God, and unable to apprehend David.

So, Saul Himself goes down to Samuel’s revival meeting, and what happens: v 24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night.

Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

So, you would think, after the Holy Spirit so humbled Saul, that he would repent, and begin again to serve the Lord, and leave David alone.

Yet, what did he do?

He went home, and again began to plot again how to murder king David!

Even after the presence of God had caused him to prophesy naked for a day and a night at the feet of Samuel!

In Luke 16, we read the account of the rich man and Lazarus. Notice here that this is not an allegory or parable, but a true story Jesus is recounting. The rich man went to hell, and the poor beggar went to Abraham’s bosum or paradise (Jesus had not yet risen from the dead, so heaven was not open yet).

We see this rich man in hell, seeing father Abraham, and crying out that someone be sent to his family, that they not end up in the same place.

Yes, people in hell are praying that we share the gospel with their families!

Let’s pick it up here:

Luke 16: ²⁹ Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰ And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Notice what Abraham, in the afterlife said: that it is more important for people to hear the word of God, and repent, than to see miracles. In fact the implication here is strong: That if someone will not hear the word of God, even if they saw someone raised from the dead telling them of what was to come, they would not change!

So what is the moral of the story?

Simple: The gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the presence of God, will not change a human heart, unless that heart is willing to be changed.

I have heard it said:

that the only thing greater than the power of God in the earth, is the free will of man.

Saul might have been able to repent here, and be of some use to king David in his future reign, had he humbled himself, but he absolutely refused!

It eventually cost him his life, and the life of his son, and many others.

The only safe prayer I see in all of this, is the repeated theme of my life and ministry:

‘Father, please grant me purity of heart and purpose. Please open my eyes, and deliver me from my own delusions of grandeur, my will, and my way. Jesus, you are the way, please become my way, with no other agenda, no compromise. May I serve and fully obey You, in spirit and in truth, whatever the cost, for your name and honors sake, Amen’

Not one jot or Tittle

Matthew 5:18

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

I snapped a picture of the hand-out sheet given us in seminary, by Dr. Brad Young. Incredible insight in it, as you look at the Hebrew language of the text.

http://www.gospelresearch.org/founder.html

I have not yet had his Hebrew class yet, and do not speak Hebrew, but I have no reason to doubt his presentation of this passage.

Under the law, Torah reads:

Deut 17:17-18(NASB)

¹⁷ He shall not multiply wives for himself, ^[a]or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

¹⁸ “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll ^[b]in the presence of the Levitical priests.

In Hebrew (Stepping into the unknown here)

¹⁷ וְלֹ֤א יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ֙ נָשִׁ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָס֖וּר לְבָב֑וֹ וְכֶ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א יַרְבֶּה־לּ֖וֹ מְאֹֽד׃

¹⁸ וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֥י הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים הַלְוִיִּֽם׃

The Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)

He showed us on the whiteboard, the Hebrew, and explained how by removing the yod, the verse took on a completely different meaning, that instead of expressly forbidding the king from multiplying horses and wives to himself, Solomon apparently said it was okay for him to have horses and wives multiplied to himself.

This sin brought destruction to Israel, hence the impassioned cry of prayer from this account of a Hebrew scholar, sage, and clearly one concerned with God’s truth and holiness.

This gives much deeper meaning and understanding to the words of Jesus

Matthew 5:18

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

The law is holy.

While the letter of the law kills, the spirit of the law is love, truth, and holiness – the hunger of every human heart.

His account of the man of God crying out to God on behalf of Israel, and reminds me of the article I wrote for the leadership breakfast some time ago, specifically the thought that perhaps a Jewish leader, seeing the church being birthed in power, could have cried out in a similar way, on behalf of God’s holiness: https://chrisaomministries.com/2017/02/05/when-god-does-business/

In any case, on this blog, we all seek Jesus, and He is Jewish, and He is truth. He fulfilled the law, so that we can be forgiven, adopted, and can actually pursue a life of love and true holiness, not merely the letter of the law, but as the law is written upon our hearts, changing our very thoughts and motives.

I am so grateful for what I am learning….

Let’s pray:

‘Father, may I become holy. Not merely position-ally, but practically as you renew my mind, and challenge my thoughts and intents of heart, that I might, by Your grace, change, and become more like Jesus. That I might continue in Your Word, and know truth, that that truth I know, would make me free. I ask, knowing I am heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus.Amen’

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

Jesus fights for truth – in this land of freedom, liberty and justice for all!

Job 16:19

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, And my advocate is on high.

As I read this simple story this morning, I thought about Jesus:

On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Examiner: “I don’t want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication.”

One of San Francisco’s greatest attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read or heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the slaying of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd’s fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim’s shop. During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd’s fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty. Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd’s offer of 10 years’ servitude.

From the Book of Lists #2, p. 157.

Jesus always sides with truth, it is His very nature. In this world of deception, and murder and lies, God stands holy, in absolute purity, in perfect truth.

In this account, Gladys Kidd had nothing to defend her husband with, but her life. She knew him, and she knew he was innocent. So, she performed a desperate act, an appeal to justice, and any true appeal to justice, reaches heaven…

She was willing to become a slave for 10 years, to work as a servant, out of love for her husband, and clearly God Himself raised up a champion for her cause!

Jesus is truth, stands for truth, and executes judgement against all evil and lies…

Yet, the gospel would not be good news, if that were the end of the story. In heaven’s justice system, there is mercy…

Jesus is still a friend of sinners. His blood is still alive before heavens throne, and to all who come to that blood, there is mercy, forgiveness…He will forgive!

1 John 2:1

[ Christ Is Our Advocate ] My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

If we have committed crimes, when we are guilty, there is a place of forgiveness in God.

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Hebrews 10:19

[ A New and Living Way ] Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood ofJesus,

His blood will atone for our sins. He can forgive our deepest, darkest secrets, and we can be cleansed from our guilt and shame, by His precious, heavenly, holy blood.

Today, do not seek to manage your sin, come bold to His throne, and find His blood there. Confess your faults and guilt to Him, and Him alone, and find mercy in heaven’s courts, and watch Him move on your behalf, here, in the earth.

God is not your problem, unless you keep running – Jesus is your answer, and can create a bright new day, and future for you, no matter how dark your journey has been.

Let’s pray:

“Father God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, judge of all the universe, today, I come to Your throne, asking for mercy. You know all, see all, and have seen my wickedness, my failure, my sin before You. I ask that You would forgive me – I ask that the blood of Jesus might cover my sin, and wash me clean again. Today, I commit to doing Your will, and Your plan for my life, no longer my own. For this fresh start, for mercy, for a future, a way, where there has been no way, I humbly thank you, and recieve Your grace to live right, from this day forward. I ask this, only because of You Lord Jesus, and Your incredible love and mercy towards me. Amen’

 

When God Does Business!

This is a message I preached at one of our leadership breakfasts. I believe it’s message is rather timely for America. One by one, we need to choose to do right, for God’s sake alone, and this country and yours… will change….

Illegal vs Immoral – Wrong vs Right!

“Hey, I didn’t do anything illegal” is a statement I have heard out of the mouths of certain business leaders.

Remember, we have been adopted into a royal family, we have now become children of the most High God through Jesus, kings and priests unto Him!

We are no longer merely governed by the laws of the land in which we live, but also by the courts of heaven, where truth, mercy and holiness reside.

In many cases, I would have to agree, these people operated in the confines of the laws of the land. Yet, what about the laws of God? In trying to survive in today’s ‘jungle warfare’, that we are forced to compete in as business leaders, did we find ourselves lying, cheating, stealing, or violating sacred trusts, in order to make a buck?

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams

I think about Ananias and Sapphira, (Acts 5) who were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit, in the presence of a man of God, anointed by God to raise up His church.

Yet, let’s break this down into a modern day contract negotiation. It would be fair in construction, to take bids or estimates from vendors, suppliers, and contractors on a project, compile the bids, add an acceptable profit and overhead, and submit the completed bid to the client.

Contracts are then issued and performed. When the work was performed, the vendors or suppliers would then invoice according to their initial approved estimates, and we would pay them, based upon the percentage of work completed. If there were additions or subtractions to the contract, these are documented, and suppliers are paid accordingly.

This, however competitive it might become, is honest business.

Yet, here are a couple of scenarios that are not only common in the business world, but in many cases have become, ‘the law of the jungle’.

Let’s just say for instance, that I want to make more on the electrical portion of the job, so I tell my electrician the amount of the other two bids, telling him to match the lowest bid, or he does not get the job. This is unfair, in that it is now a corrupt bidding process, for I have immediately disqualified the other two bidders by secretly disclosing their numbers to my buddy.

Or, I have been awarded the contract, and I have so much money allocated for each trade or portion of the work, and I then ‘shop’ the bid by lying to contractors, saying: ‘I only have $5000.00 into this project for electrical, can you do it for this, and we will make it up on the next one.”

When perhaps, acceptable profit and overhead is 20-25%, and I actually have $10,000.00 allocated for the work. The honest way to do this, is to simply ask contractors, “How much are you willing to do this job for?” and let them bid it fairly.

In a free market economy, competition will keep the bids on track.

This scenario, is exactly what Ananais and Sapphira did.

Now, let’s say, that the job goes well, and I am invoiced by my suppliers, but I tell them, that ‘we ran into some additional expenses on this job, and we are all having to settle on 90cents on the dollar.’ In other words, I get paid the full amount of the contract, but pay my suppliers 90cents on the dollar, and pocket the remainder. This is lying, cheating, and stealing.

Let’s look at Ananaias and Sapphira for a second:

Acts 5: ¶ But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

I have a picture come to mind, for all you theologians out there, of one of the Levitical high priests, perhaps an Old Testament prophet, who saw the new covenant God was about to make with all humanity through Jesus. How the law, with all its holy ordinances and principals would be fully satisfied in Jesus, and how all the punishment a sin sick humanity deserved, would be poured out upon this One, the Lamb of God, and how God our Father, would receive His sacrificial death as an atonement for our sins, and that after He had raised Jesus from the dead, how God could now pour out love, and mercy and blessing upon anyone who believed. Perhaps this man had spent his entire life consecrating Himself to God’s laws and service in the temple, well aware of God’s holiness. Perhaps He cried out the throne, knowing in the future that a people totally undeserving were now going to enter into the covenant he had given his life to uphold, and from the depths of his heart he cried: ‘God, forsake not Your Holiness!”

And God heard, and performed a precedent setting example in the courts of heaven – sin would still be judged, and unfortunately for Ananias and Saphira that day, their lies, cost them their lives.

These two did what is common business in the United States today. They sold a piece of land, and then had a private meeting, to discuss what they were going to do with the money. They decided that because of the big revival going on at the church, that they ought to make an offering at the temple because it was the politically correct thing to do:

Ac 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

Others, touched by the Spirit of God were doing it, so they decided to join the noble, God fearing community, and give into the gospel.

Yet, they decided to try and make themselves look good at church, while padding their pockets with a nice little profit.

Funny thing about sin, it costs more than you were willing to pay, and generally takes you further than you were willing to go.

Notice, in Acts 5:2 how: they did not have to give the entire purchase price of the land in the offering.

They could have simply declared how much they were going to give, and placed that amount in the offering, and gone away from the meeting, blessed of God, and favored of man.

Yet, like many business people I have met, they told one story, but lived another.

It cost them their lives.

Pr 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

How many lies do we have to tell, before we become liars? Just one.

How much do we have to steal, before we become a thief? Just once.

How often can we accept a bribe or shop bids, before we become a cheat? Just once.

Whatever happened to sin?

I wrote an article on this title, that became controversial: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/whatever-happened-to-sin/

Seems discussion of sin in the church, is not longer politically correct, yet the gospel is this:

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

If the apostle Paul could call himself the chief of all sinners, how much more I, and you, before a holy God.

The gospel, or good news, is that Jesus Christ died upon the cross, to pay for our sins. He will forgive, but only if we humbly, honestly ask Him, with the intent of going our way and sinning no more.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I love this verse that I describe this way: If you sin, immediately tell Jesus, and ask for His forgiveness. When you do, He will hear, and He will forgive you, and give you strength and grace to not do it again, and wisdom to know what to do next. He, in His amazing love, will cleanse you from the your filth, and will even make the impossible possible, in mending the unmendable, fixing the unfixable, cleaning up the mess we made.

This is repentance. This is the cross. This is grace. This is the love of God.

Perhaps you are in this place today:

You have been a mover and shaker, trying to get things done in this brutal world we call the business world. Yet, your words have become lies, and truth is no longer the bedrock upon which your life is built.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Amplified Bible (AMP)

13 For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not [a]adjusted and [b]adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to [c]a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

Now, this verse is written to those who are enduring temptation or trial.

The people I am speaking today, have already blown it, and have sinned, yet unlike Annanias and Sapphira, you are still alive.

God is love. He is merciful, and though there may be brutal consequences to your sin, you are alive, and He will walk with you as you bear them, and more importantly, He is not done with you, for there is a fate far worse than death.

There is a very real, eternal place, called hell, and Jesus and I are working very hard to see that you don’t have to go there.

Re 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

In a book, entitled ‘A divine revelation of Hell’, a lady claims to have been taken by Jesus into hell, and shown around. Everyone knows Him there, for He sent them there:

Re 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

His heart, is always to seek and save the lost, but if His offer of forgiveness and restoration is rejected, He only has two other options: 1. You can die, your life cut short because of your sin, but your soul saved that you might make heaven, instead of hell. 2. You may eternally reject His blood, and refuse to change your ways, and in that case, you will go to hell.

In one account in hell, the woman witnessed a man in a prison cell, tormented in flames, screaming in pain. He saw Jesus, and cried: “Jesus, give me one more chance. You know I will do better this time!” Jesus looked at him, with eyes of steel, and said: “You are still a liar, even here!”

There is a day of judgment, where we will appear before Jesus, alone. No excuses, every word and action of our life on complete display. No one to blame, but ourselves. What we do this day, can prepare us for that day.

Run for your life!

Leave people, places and things that corrupt you. Choose truth, holiness, and honesty before God, at all costs, no matter how much money is involved, or what people might think.

How much is eternal life worth?

No one can keep your individual appointment with God on that day, but you, yourself.

Make a decision, to watch your words and actions, today. All we have is today. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is only a dream. Work for your God given dream, but live, in truth, today. His name is ‘I AM’, and Now, faith is. He is an ever-present help in time of need, and we all need Him.

Before we pray, I give you the following story:

Who was United States Senator Edmund G. Ross of Kansas? I suppose you could call him a “Mr. Nobody.” No law bears his name. Not a single list of Senate “greats” mentions his service. Yet when Ross entered the Senate in 1866, he was considered the man to watch. He seemed destined to surpass his colleagues, but he tossed it all away by one courageous act of conscience.

Let’s set the stage.

Conflict was dividing our government in the wake of the Civil War. President Andrew Johnson was determined to follow Lincoln’s policy of reconciliation toward the defeated South. Congress, however, wanted to rule the downtrodden Confederate states with an iron hand.

Congress decided to strike first. Shortly after Senator Ross was seated, the Senate introduced impeachment proceedings against the hated President. The radicals calculated that they needed thirty-six votes, and smiled as they concluded that the thirty-sixth was none other than Ross’. The new senator listened to the vigilante talk. But to the surprise of many, he declared that the president “deserved as fair a trial as any accused man has ever had on earth.” The word immediately went out that his vote was “shaky.” Ross received an avalanche of anti-Johnson telegrams from every section of the country. Radical senators badgered him to “come to his senses.”

The fateful day of the vote arrived. The courtroom galleries were packed. Tickets for admission were at an enormous premium.

As a deathlike stillness fell over the Senate chamber, the vote began. By the time they reached Ross, twenty-four “guilties” had been announced. Eleven more were certain. Only Ross’ vote was needed to impeach the President. Unable to conceal his emotion, the Chief Justice asked in a trembling voice, “Mr. Senator Ross, how vote you? Is the respondent Andrew Johnson guilty as charged?” Ross later explained, at that moment, “I looked into my open grave. Friendships, position, fortune, and everything that makes life desirable to an ambitions man were about to be swept away by the breath of my mouth, perhaps forever.” Then, the answer came — unhesitating, unmistakable: “Not guilty!” With that, the trial was over. And the response was as predicted.

A high public official from Kansas wired Ross to say: “Kansas repudiates you as she does all perjurers and skunks.” The “open grave” vision had become a reality. Ross’ political career was in ruins. Extreme ostracism, and even physical attack awaited his family upon their return home.

One gloomy day Ross turned to his faithful wife and said, “Millions cursing me today will bless me tomorrow…though not but God can know the struggle it has cost me.” It was a prophetic declaration. Twenty years later Congress and the Supreme Court verified the wisdom of his position, by changing the laws related to impeachment.

Ross was appointed Territorial Governor of New Mexico. Then, just prior to his death, he was awarded a special pension by Congress. The press and country took this opportunity to honor his courage which, they finally concluded, had saved our country from crisis and division.

Jon Johnston, Courage – You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, 1990, SP Publications, pp. 56-58.

You can make daily courageous decisions to tell the truth, no matter what others are doing.

Let’s pray:

‘Father, I come before you today, asking for mercy. Where I have lied, cheated, and stolen, please forgive me. Father, change me, restore me to integrity, honesty, truth, holiness, and true righteousness before You today. Please eliminate from my life people, places and things that would cause me to sin against You today, and bring into my life, people of honor, truth, faith, that I can be accountable to. You see the horrible consequences my sin has wrought, and only You can fix the messes I have made. I give all of these to You, and ask You for wisdom to know what to do, in each of them. Thank you for sparing my life, and giving me a second chance. Please let me do right in this..in Your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen.’

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

Conflict Resolution – Biblically

I have always argued that Jesus taught clearly on things of everyday life, that His teaching are meant to be lived, not merely studied and preached.

As I sat in Dr. Young’s class, ‘The Jewish Roots of the Gospels”, and we were studying what the first thirty years of Jesus life could have been like, as he explained from many sources, the traditional culture and lifestyles of practicing Jews that were most probably the life and customs of Jesus as a Jew in Galilee being raised in Israel and visiting Jerusalem.

Like a bolt of insight, I rethought Matt 18, and Jesus teachings on conflict resolution from a Jewish perspective. I have not finished my meditation, prayer, research, or study yet, but let me share with you what I have traditionally taught, and then suggest to you where my thinking is heading:

Basically, I have always taught that the Biblical pattern of relationship reconciliation was four-fold:

1. If someone has sinned against you, and you are offended, privately, after prayer, go to them and confront them personally, humbly, directly, with the intent of seeing the wrong made right, and reconciling the relationship. (Matt 18:15)
2. If they will not hear you, go to them with two (hopefully objective) witnesses, again with the intent that wrongs be made right, and that the person be given the opportunity to correct themselves before God and you, and again, restore the relationship. (Matt 18:16)
3. If they still will not hear you and two witnesses, Jesus commands the matter be brought before the church, and that the person be disciplined by church leadership, and if they still will not repent, they are to be removed from fellowship. Remember in this, that church leadership should be actively seeking to emulate the love of God, and exhibit the goodness of God that might lead the offending person to repentance. Jesus mission is still to seek and save the lost, and He is still a friend of sinners. Sin is a horrible thing though, some will still not repent. (Matt 18:17)
4. Here is where it gets complicated in Western society – God is still in charge of the governments of the earth, and has set police, soldiers, courts and prisons in place, and I believe even capital punishment, to rid the earth of evil. If the person at large is a criminal, and a menace to society, I believe there are times when legal charges must be brought, and the person must be prosecuted under the laws of the land, that justice may be served. (Romans 13:1-5)
   
   As a Christian leader, I have engaged in this process several times over the years, both as an offended party seeking to get paid for work I had done as a contractor, and as a pastor called to execute judgment in certain brutal life situations (like a divorce, custody arrangements, and similar gut-wrenching situations).

Here is where I received my ‘lightening bolt’ of insight as I sat in lecture:

Jesus is a Jew.

Though this passage of instruction was given to the church, initially, until Acts 10 when Cornelius was converted, it was spoken to a Jewish or Messianic church who were well schooled in the law of Moses.

Let’s look at a couple of verses:

Deuteronomy 17:6

On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

Deuteronomy 19:15

[ Witnesses ] One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Notice in the first verse, when two witnesses to a crime were brought forward under the Torah, that was enough evidence to put the criminal to death!

 

Then, we read in Deut 19 how two witnesses were required to establish guilt, but if they were found, these eyewitness accounts were enough evidence to have a person executed.

 

In my millisecond of insight, I saw a whole other depth of seriousness in the new testament passages. At the point of two witnesses being brought forward to testify and confront a person involved in some sin, assuming these two witnesses are truthful, under the law, this was enough, in a capital offence, to have the person executed!

Seems there is a process then – that is very thorough when applied, to determine guilt. I am not educated enough to know yet what this would like like in a Jewish community, when step three was implemented – where the matter was brought before the church. My thinking would be that at this point, the churches job was to investigate the claims of the offended party, and the statements of the two witnesses, and weigh it carefully before God, always attempting to see the one accused repentant and potentially restored to community.

 

When this was not possible, judgment in the form of exile was executed by the church or synagogue, the convicted criminal was forbidden to fellowship or worship with the church.

 

What is interesting here, is that Jesus describes His, at that time future, heavenly ministry, seated at the right hand of the Father, as just ruler, and judge of all life. He declares that His authority was invested and entrusted to His church, and that He literally would be present to enforce what was decided upon by church leadership in the words of Matt 18:  ¹⁸ Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In other words He is establishing that whatever His church forbids in the earth, is forbidden, and once that judgment is decreed  and declared, He Himself, from heaven, also forbids it, and I believe, releases His power and authority to enforce this decree. Likewise, whatever is permitted (after deliberation, prayer, and declaration) is executed as permitted.

Equally as astounding is verse: ¹⁹ Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

What makes this verse astounding is the fact that in His heavenly ministry, Jesus, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, personally attends every prayer meeting, and listens to, agrees with, and actually enforces His authority where only two or three are gathered together in His name.

Truly, He spoke:

John 16:7 (AMP)

⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the ^[a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]

What gives these verses excitement and teeth is the truth that while Jesus, in the days of His flesh, could only be in one place at one time: now, as God the Son, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent – He is literally present when we gather together in His name. The loving, merciful, yet holy judge of all the universe is present in power and judgment, and to those living contrary to what is right, this should bring a fear of the Lord, a tremor of reverence, knowing the day will come when we all face Him in absolute truth.

On that day, unless we have received Him as our Lord and savior, and received His forgiveness and mercy, we will face Him as judge, with no appeal, no parole, facing eternity separated from Him in a fate far worse than death – eternal punishment in the lake of fire.

Yet, if you recall my introduction, I had written four steps of relationship reconciliation and justice. My concern in this, is my Western American interpretation of this process. Recall, it was written by a Jewish Jesus, to a Jewish church, who were to understand the whole counsel of God. I do not know the full judicial system of the day, but it appears that the priests were also the judges of all morality, applying the law to all of life. In this context, when a person came to church, he also went to court also, for it was there one should find the law and the Spirit fully working to judge the very thoughts, motives and intents of the each human heart.

Hebrews 4:12 (AMP)

¹² For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged ^[a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the ^[b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets, and now we live under a covenant of mercy and grace, a new and better covenant. (Heb 8:6)

Yet there is more to be understood here, and before I investigate step four, which I might sub-title ‘a Christian’s role in the judicial system’, I must consider a couple verses:

First, the words of Jesus, in confronting the religious leaders of His day:

Matthew 23:23

“Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you give a tenth (tithe) of your mint and dill and cumin [focusing on minor matters], and have neglected the weightier [more important moral and spiritual] provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are  the [primary] things you ought to have done without neglecting the others.

 

Or what about the verse: Matthew 5:40

If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also [for the Lord repays the offender].

 

1 Cor 5:12 For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders (non-believers)? Do you not judge those who are within the church [to protect the church as the situation requires]? 13 God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside [the faith]. Remove the wicked one from among you [expel him from your church].
Okay, enough for tonight

 

Here are my thoughts that I will expound upon as we proceed:

 

1. The first three steps of correction are for Christians, in the church.
2. There is a clear distinction between the way God judges His children in the church, and those who do not know Him, who live in the world, outside the faith.
3. Clearly one of the weightier matters of the law, is justice.
4. Clearly, according to Romans 13, God is also Lord of the justice systems of the earth, and there is a place there for Christians to learn, grow, and exemplify Jesus.

   For today, thank you for walking with me this far in my study – like many great sermon series, this is ‘to be continued’.

‘Father, give me courage to confront people, and walk out Your process of reconciliation within your church. You know, you see, and you have seen all that has happened. Give me grace and wisdom to know when to pray, and when to say, as I seek to see people and situations through Your eyes, and to judge them only with Your heart of love and compassion towards them. Teach me Your weightier matters, matters that reveal hearts, motives, and all the justice systems of the earth. I ask, knowing I am heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.’

Prayer Requests: If you or your family need specific prayer for anything, please send us a prayer request. We as a family will pray for you today, and if you would, please let us know the wonderful ways God answers. This is a great encouragement to us

 

Bible Verses:

 

Matt 18:NASB ¹⁵ “If your brother sins^[k], go and ^[l]show him his fault ^[m]in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every ^[n]fact may be confirmed. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as ^[o]a Gentile and ^[p]a tax collector.¹⁸ Truly I say to you, whatever you ^[q]bind on earth ^[r]shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you ^[s]loose on earth ^[t]shall have been loosed in heaven.
KJV:  ¹⁸ Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matt 18 Amp¹⁴ Just so it is not the will of My Father Who is in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost and perish.

¹⁵ If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.

¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed and upheld by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁷ If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.

Be Subject to Government

Romans 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God.² Therefore whoever ^[a]resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves. ³ For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be subject [to civil authorities], not only to escape the punishment [that comes with wrongdoing], but also as a matter of principle [knowing what is right before God]