“The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence.” Luke 7:29 (MSG) When ordinary and common people are awakened to the message, the clearest evidence is presented. It is not the theologians or religious experts who will readily embrace the truth. They have to work their way through too many intellectual arguments before their hearts are finally penetrated. Not that we should close our minds and blindly feel our way into faith. But there is a place deep within the soul that can identify with the Truth and serve as the cause for rejoicing. The void is filled there. What has been missing is finally placed in the deep hole that nothing else was able to fill. Ordinary people are more aware of their need than those who are self-confident, pious, and proud. They need everything while the proud need nothing. They seek out a better and more fulfilling life while most aristocrats only need an addendum to what they have already received. There will be a major movement among the ordinary people and those who were hopeless. They will see the Light sought after but never realized. Their response will…
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“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matt 16:19 The keys unlock the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables because it had not been given to them to know the mysteries of His kingdom, but it was given to His disciples. They had submitted to Him and had committed to fully follow Him. Along their journey they were graced by the Holy Spirit to receive the revelation from the Father that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. This truth unlocked the mystery to which they were to enter in. Experiencing Christ is having access bringing down to earth the blessings contained in heaven. As we grow in our knowledge of Christ, not merely our knowledge of created things, we will discover that all is subject to what we are learning. He has preeminence over all things. They maintain their consistency by and through Him alone. A glimpse of Christ is insufficient for the journey ahead of us. We must maintain our focus exclusively…
- June 17, 2018
“God is far higher than you can imagine, far deeper than you can comprehend.” Job 11:8 (MSG) Dimensions of God extend far beyond our imaginations. It is impossible for any of us to contain what is to be known of God within our minds. Even those with vivid imaginations one can create fiction with such realism as to draw out tender emotions from the coldest of hearts. Yet much is left wanting in comparison to the majesty of God. There are no limits to Him. The only way to describe Him is through the use of superlatives in comparison and in contrast to what is known. He is higher than the heavens. He is deeper than Sheol, or the depths of hell. There are some who cannot accept what they cannot fully understand. They restrict themselves to the finiteness of their own minds and cannot be expanded to understand spiritual things. Only those who believe on His Name are given the opportunity to explore the depths of God. Throughout eternity, the mysteries of His Kingdom will forever be our quest and our joy in their fulfillment. We now see it, we have the privilege to enter into it, and ultimately we will…
- June 5, 2018
“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” Luke 12:48 God expects a return on His investments. The gifts of God are given to each person in order for all to profit as result of His distributions. It is not based on what most would consider as the criteria for God’s judgments. God is not equal in His judgments, but He is equitable. Grace is freely given, but God determines who will receive what is being distributed. Yet we may covet what we deem as necessary, but it must only be for the advancement of His kingdom and not our own. When our hearts yearn to do more for God and we feel powerless to fully participate with Him in what He wills to do, it is in order to seek Him for the empowering gifts that would further qualify us. Yet in our earnestness to receive, it does not obligate Him to any measure to give us what we consider to be necessary. He will give us what He knows is best for ourselves as well as others. But the warning is not to frustrate the grace of God. What God gives must be used…
- June 1, 2018
“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19 The keys unlock the doors to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. With one key, the largest and the most difficult door can swing open on the hinges of faith. Peter was given the keys to unlock every door existing there. The possessing of keys is essential, but their proper use is still required. Peter received from the Father the revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ accompanied with the relationship that exists between them. The revelation that He is the Christ provides the keys given to man in order for him to correspond and commune with God. Now it takes spiritual growth and experience to know what things we should ask for thus aligning ourselves with the will of the Father. When earth reflects the will of heaven, then earth will have upon it an instrument that will use the keys as a means of having God’s kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in…
- May 22, 2018
“Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Daniel 7:27 The rising of kings that will attempt to change times and laws will appear to have prevailed against God. The saints will be persecuted and the enemy will prevail against the saints. It will be a day when God’s Word will be among the minority who are willing to give their lives for what does not appear to be working. As it is today, persecutions are surmounting and Christians are being persecuted in various parts of the world. Their story is not being told and their experiences are often isolated from the whole experience of the Body of Christ in the eyes of many who profess to be believers. Leaders are rising who are void of any knowledge or experience thus not agitating the powers that are currently rising. They coexist with the enemy; therefore, they do not pose any threat. Times and seasons are being altered by the opposing forces. Ultimately, God will arise to judge…
- May 19, 2018
“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10 Those who trust in the living God labor with a goal in view that is different from the activities of others. There are luxuries not afforded the faithful for he must live his life with purpose. Every day must have a degree of significance that further sets him aside as God’s representative on the earth, maintaining the course leading to a destination. Kingdom business is his primary business. Now the world system will notice the difference but will not know how to interpret it. His strangeness will be repulsive to many who would much rather he be silent rather than to speak. His activity appears to run counter to values of his contemporaries. Yet he has fully embraced his call and end to suffer reproach because his life is not his own; he has been bought with a price. Therefore he trusts in the living God who is his constant companion to guide him through this maze of life to his eternal home. His life is a gift to…
- May 2, 2018
“As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” Matthew 24:32 One major sign of the return of Christ will be the renewed courage and strength among those who carry the testimony of the Lord. As it was in the days of the prophets and later the apostles, so shall it be among individuals who will stand for truth without compromise. They will be among a people who have relented to casual Christianity, but will not allow the pressures brought to bear against them to discourage them nor diminish their faith. There will be new life within the Church as both young and old will boldly face persecution if required, for righteousness sake. The sign will be an awakening spreading to the ends of the earth. The Kingdom of God will be their message, the cross will be their standard, and zeal of the Lord will totally consume them. Professor Martin Scharlemann of Concordia Seminary said, “As soon as the missionaries are no longer welcome to do their work and their host countries begin to expel them, look up.”
- April 29, 2018
“Now I will rise,” says the Lord; “Now I will be exalted, Now I will lift Myself up.” Isaiah 33:10 God rises above the heights of the loftiest mountains. He rises above the ingenuity of the wisest men on the face of the earth. Many who have settled for a level of truth based upon what can enter into the minds of men. But when He is exalted, no thought could ever be stretched to dimensions known only to Him. His judgments provide proof that we are wrong in our assessments of life and things excluding Him yet deemed to be important. He exposes the frailty of everything that did not originate from Him and remain attached to Him. God was awaiting the right moment in time, when unbelief had reached its peak among the doubters and skeptics. While those who believed on Him anticipated His return, eagerly longing for His rule and reign to be established among men on earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- March 23, 2018
“Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day — but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.” 2 Peter 3: 12-13 (MSG) The coming of the Lord will attract the attention of those who are eagerly awaiting His return. While all things around us are being shaken, and nothing appears to have any degree of stability, there remains a constant focus in an upward direction in spite of all other things that would otherwise be disturbing. God has promised that He would send His Son again to the earth. If the earth could not receive the words of the prophets, and the world rejects His standard, it is not the world on which His kingdom will be established. He will descend, but above the earth while the heavens and the earth is burned with fire, then He will establish new heavens and a new earth where righteous will reign. But then, it will be under the rule of those who are kept by His power and anticipate His return….
- March 4, 2018