Tag: bible

See Me, See God

Barbara Weber

John 12:44-45 WEB

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. [45] He who sees me sees him who sent me.

When we reflect God, we obey the Bible. We care about the 10 commandments and the commandments of the New Testament. It is natural to bind the Word to our hearts, it reflects the Father. Additionally, we put away anger. Instead, we respond to people gently, even when they are rude. We do not try to get even or to justify ourselves. Instead, we are patient, caring more about the things of God than our egos. Finally, when we reflect God, we walk in love. We put away jealousy and bitterness in exchange for mercy, kindness, and grace. In our daily walk, we testify of God through our words and actions.

When we practice these basic principles, God is reflected to the people around us. We must separate ourselves from sin and come into obedience to the Bible. More, we must submit our goals to God. Are our goals truly Biblical reflecting the whole counsel of the Bible? Or do all our choices hang on one or two scriptures that speak of blessings? When we are purposed to reflect God to the world, we bring all these areas of “flesh” into obedience to the Scripture.

When we separate ourselves from fleshly indulgences we begin to look like Jesus. We both reflect God, and we reflect Jesus’ motivations. Like Jesus, we love to the point of laying down our lives. We are powerful to confront sin in other believers. We are passionate about getting people into a relationship with God. We also believe the Bible when we reflect God. We believe in heaven and hell and an eternal destiny so we realize the worthiest thing we can do to reflect God and imitate Jesus is to share the gospel with the lost.

Lord, please help me have the same motivations as Jesus. I long for those around me to see your love and goodness. Please help me witness to the lost. Help me focus on your priorities. Teach me to love others more than myself. Please help me bring my flesh into subjection to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conservative Jesus

Barbara Weber

John 10:34-36 WEB

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ [35] If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), [36] do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

That phrase, “and scripture can’t be broken,” is intriguing. Why did Jesus include this? He is talking to Pharisees, men who are experts in Scripture. But Pharisees were also experts in the Talmud. The Talmud was a book of approximately 400 rules which, at times, contradicted the Scripture. This is the error Jesus is addressing in these verses.

Including “and scripture can’t be broken” Is also interesting because Jesus does not appear concerned about modernizing the Scripture. He is Conservative. He takes the Scripture as fully divine and to be obeyed in heart first. This was a radical idea but with a very conservative approach on Jesus’ part. Jesus is speaking to the conservatives of the times, and yet, he had many rebukes for their wrong heart issues.

And there is a heart issue here. The Pharisees have grown cold towards God. They have become orthodox instead of conservative. They have come up with a book to explain the scripture. That book, the Talmud, was given greater authority by the Pharisees than they gave the Scripture. The Talmud was a cruel taskmaster. Worse, any Jewish person caught breaking the Talmud would be kicked out of the sanctuary. So, a scripture obeying Jew could be barred from the temple because of a contradiction in the Talmud.

Lord, help me discern false teachings. Help me always place the authority of the Bible above and help me live its message of love and obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thieves and Robbers

Barbara Weber

John 10:1 WEB

“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Thieves break-in. They come through windows and other opportunities for access. The homeowner goes in through the door. When we come to Jesus on his terms, we are entering the sheepfold through the door. However, there are many who do not have the sheep’s best interest in mind. They may want to build a big church, or they may want to be wealthy. These and other issues indicate they have not come in by the gate. They may be called but instead of waiting to be chosen, they strive for their ministry position. They are thieves.

Modern-day evangelism gives rise to those whom Jesus calls thieves. In our world of self-promotion, many people can use their charisma and talents to advance in the kingdom. However, a true shepherd of the sheep will wait for the Lord to advance. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize they are not ready. That means there are wolves on a variety of platforms. The irony is they may feel confident the Lord sent them. Therefore, we need to learn to discern who is of the Lord, and who is a thief. The thief is in danger of the judgment.

How can we recognize thieves? We learn and trust the Bible. The Bible says not to rage. How many preachers use theatrics to entertain their audience? They get louder and louder until they whip the audience up into a frenzy. That is not real. A real preacher has legitimate proof of their content, not just emotional appeals. The Bible calls this kind of manipulation witchcraft. In fact, the Bible gives many instructions we can use to righteously judge those who lead us.  

Lord, please instill in me a hunger for the Bible. Help me learn its truth’s so I can detect frauds. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Spiritual Truth

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John 4:24 WEB

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God is a spirit, so, why is it hard to believe that he works despite the truth of reality? He is a spirit and the works he does are spiritual. How he works is spiritual. Why he works is spiritual. His goals are all spiritual and point to a life after death. A life with God where he is, in the presence of Jesus and with the whole company of believers.

Have you noticed how hard it is to testify to God’s purely spiritual works? People tend to dismiss these testimonies as fanciful or wishful. There is no boasting in God’s spiritual works. His works refrain us from boasting. The truth is, to testify of His spiritual works can be costly. In fact, according to the truth of the Bible, his works are foolishness to the lost (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The good news regarding this is we have a truth that is founded upon reality. If the spiritual is foolish to the lost, then we need a reality-based tool to use. God is spiritual and he used the spiritual tool of anointing to inspire the writing of the Bible. No word of the Bible is apart from anointing. The Bible is inspired from the first verse of Genesis to the last word of Revelation.

The Bible is truth. We are to worship God in both spirit and truth. We must accept, recognize, and share that which is spiritual. We must also accept, recognize, and share that which is truth. When God changes our circumstances so that we have favorable outcomes, we must share, especially with other believers. When God leads us to share with a lost person we must testify from the Bible. Believers can receive the spiritual and the lost can receive the truth.

To fulfill our purpose in the Lord we must worship in spirit and truth. When we testify of the spiritual, we build up the body of believers. When we share from the Bible, we build up believers and harvest the lost. As people of the Church Age, we are bound by the great commission. Regardless of how or when the Great Commission was inspired and written, we are bound to work in the harvesting of the lost. It is our most significant purpose.

As our primary purpose, it should be our primary pursuit. Instead, many have fallen into the trap of pursuing wealth and prosperity. This is tricky because wealth and prosperity are a part of the blessing of the covenant of salvation. Yet, it is also testing for the spiritual. What you focus on in your witness or ministry is spiritual. The outflow of your spiritual condition becomes the reality of your goals and pursuits.

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for selfish pursuits. You died for me, and I am honored to pursue your direction and commission. Please cause me to become a soul-winner. I want to be a part of your harvest as the Bible commands. Please heal my spiritual health. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Wellspring of Life

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 John 4:11-14 WEB

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? [12] Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, as did his children, and his livestock?” [13] Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, [14] but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Does the well you drink from give you rest or do you have to go to the well to draw over and over? The well of our best thinking will never give us rest. Nor will the well of tradition. The well which gives rest and springs eternal is Jesus. Not the Jesus of our best thinking, nor the Jesus of our forebears. It is the Living Word that comes from a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ which becomes a spring of eternal life.

Are you tired? Do you feel worn out? Does taking a vacation make you feel better or do you come back and find you are still exhausted? If so, something is not right. This is one of those places in our lives where we have a view into the truth of our faith. Isaiah says that our hearts are wicked (Isaiah 64:6). The Apostle Paul also speaks of the wickedness and deceit within our hearts (Romans 1:18). Therefore, most of us cannot see ourselves. Rather, we see what we want to see. What we need is a way of seeing the truth that goes beyond our own idealism about ourselves. The issue of being exhausted versus refreshed is one of those places in our spiritual journey where we can evaluate ourselves.

If you are tired something is not right. You should have a well springing up within you that always refreshes. A living wellspring of spiritual wellness. If not, it’s time to put idealism down and look deeper. What beliefs are your works based upon? Do you take the knowledge you have and demand an explanation? God does not seem to be inclined to explain himself. He has told us a great deal about himself in the Word. However, when we take information about God from the Word and fill in all the missing pieces with our own ideas, we are going to become bankrupt. We simply cannot make up a God in our thinking that refreshes.

We also cannot take someone else’s faith and feel refreshed. Yes, we can be encouraged by others’ faith, but eventually, we need to stand upon our own faith. Do you honor your parents by keeping the traditions of faith they passed down? Honoring our parents is good but relying on tradition rather than the Living Voice of Jesus within ourselves is a work that does not bring rest. Are you reading the Bible to learn how to live? Or are you relying on what you have been taught to make your life decisions? The Bible has the power to go inside and spring up a well within. It must be the anchor of our faith.

How is your prayer life? The ultimate spring of life within is the Voice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must cultivate our relationship with Jesus in the same way we must cultivate any healthy relationship. We read the Love Letter He left us, the Bible. We also talk to Jesus and listen for the small still voice of His response. We must have both pieces in place or we may fall into delusion. However, it is wrong to avoid hearing the Living Voice of Jesus within because of fear of being deceived. Rather we should be familiar with the Bible so Satan cannot influence our thinking about God, His nature, and our relationship with Him. When this is our truth, we will have rest even as we work for the Lord. He will be a spring of eternal life within, eternal life we can drink from and give others to drink.  

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for looking in the wrong places for my rest. Please help me read Your Word and pray. Help me enter through the narrow gate to a life of spiritual rest and wellness. Please let my life be a place of refreshing both to me and those to whom I am sent. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Evil Vs Truth

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John 3:20-21 WEB

For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. [21] But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

It’s interesting that the verse does not read “he who does righteousness” but rather “he who does the truth” comes into the light. Evil, at its core, is functionally deceptive in nature. Dark and light have been separated by God in the creation. It was the very first creative act of the first day of creation. It is also the theme of the fourth day of creation. Two of six days of creation were devoted to separating the darkness from the light. And in our time, evil still separates itself from the light. This is done through deceptive means. Those who do evil in the church cover their deeds through sins of both commission and omission. They present a lie. They present as righteous and, in the light, but in truth, they are hiding their evil in the darkness. The Bible says that you will know them by their fruit. Matthew 7:18 and 19 (WEB) says, “Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. [18] A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.” One of the easiest ways in the church to detect evil is to see what a life is producing over time. Anyone can polish up a rotten apple and make it look good for a little while. But in the long term, that piece of fruit is going to go bad. When ministries produce lasting fruit of lives changed and lasting righteousness you are witnessing good fruit. However, if everyone who gets “saved” ends up falling away, or, major sin issues are rampant in the church, you are seeing a tree that is producing evil fruit. That is an evil tree. That is a life with hidden and secret sins. Likewise, a congregant that whispers secrets and fails to reproduce salvation in others is also an evil tree. Gossip is a sin that has come to be accepted as “no big deal.” It is something that evil loves. Evil loves to destroy people with the fruit of their lips. Evil fruit. The life that is producing evil will allow itself to be deceived so that it can be comfortable. Another evil fruit is holding grudges. One of the evilest things a person can say or think is “I can never forgive them.” When you hear that coming out of a congregant’s mouth, and they refuse to repent, you are dealing with an evil tree. The Bible clearly says that if you do not forgive others the Father will not forgive you. In Matthew 6:14-15 (WEB) it says, ““For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. [15] But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” An unforgiving life is lost. However, a good tree making a mistake will repent when confronted in love. In Galations 6:1 (WEB) it says, “Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.” And in Acts 8:22 (WEB) it says, “Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.”

So where do you stand? As you have read this blog has the Holy Spirit brought conviction about a matter or issue in your life? It’s not hard, just repent. Ask to be forgiven and stop sinning. If that does not work talk to a pastor that is producing good fruit and be healed and restored in the love of the brotherhood of believers. Galatians 6:10 (WEB), “So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.”

Lord Jesus, I come to you with a contrite heart, please reveal to me sin that I have become hardened towards. Breath life in me and help me repent Lord. I want you forever rather than the praise of men for a season. I’m sorry Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What do you Want?

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John 1:37-38 WEB

The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. [38] Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”

When Jesus looks around is he going to find you following him? I hope so! Those who follow Jesus get asked an amazing question, “what do you want?” If we are ever going to receive from Jesus, it starts by asking him to come into our hearts. And then it’s time to follow! We follow Jesus in Spirit and Truth. That means we seek a relationship with the Holy Spirit and know the Bible.

The Word of God tells us that anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit is denied by Jesus when he comes in front of his Father. I have come to believe that denying the Voice of God in our present reality is what the Bible refers to as blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This is why we have to be cautious not to worship the Bible. We don’t have a relationship with the Bible, we have a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, during The Exodus, the people of God were brought to the Mountain of God so that they could hear from God themselves. However, they did not want to hear from God and they asked Moses to talk to God for them. (Ex 20:19) They asked to be separated from God’s Voice. So, they got what they wanted. But, they were also denied entrance into the promised land. That entire generation died in the wilderness.

Following Jesus also means we read the Bible and know it because that’s our Truth. The Bible is our relational book; it defines our relationship with God. We can safely listen to the Spirit of God if we are secure in the knowledge of the Word of God. This is because the Word of God will bring correction to what we believe we are hearing. We know that the Lord God cannot lie, so the Spirit of God is not going to speak to us in ways that contradict the Word of God.

You don’t have to be afraid to listen to God’s Voice. Remember, God always gives us a way to escape the snare of the enemy. (1 Cor 10:13) When we listen for God’s voice, we are safeguarded from deception by knowing the Word of God. The Bible informs what we are hearing and lets us know if it really is from God. God cannot lie, but he also cannot deny himself. So, These two things go together for the follower, Spirit, and Truth.

Lord Jesus, I pray for a hunger for your word, and the courage to listen for your voice. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Adultery

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John 1:17 WEB

For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

The law was given through Moses because the people rejected God’s Voice (Exo 20:19). After God delivered Israel from Egypt, he prepared them to meet with him (Exo 19:10-12). But when the time came, the Israelites were scared and told Moses they did not want to meet God. More, the people told Moses they would rather he talked to God and tell them what God said. So God gave Moses the law, but only after the people rejected him (Ex 20:18-19).

There is a similar phenomenon happening today. Because Christ overcame death he opened the door for the Holy Spirit to manifest in the hearts of every person who calls on the Lord (Rom 5:5). Once again, people can hear from God (Acts 4:21). However, instead of teaching believers to go directly to God, leaders are teaching people to go directly to the Bible (Mt 12:31).

In their zeal to educate people in the ways of God, ministers are teaching people to worship the Bible instead of God himself (John 5:39). Do you know why people do that? It’s the exact same reason the Israelites did it when they decided they preferred the law to God’s voice, fear (Exo 20:18-20). I think the people of God, in their desperation not to fail God, have decided they prefer the letter of the law to obedience to his voice (Rom 2:29).

Please do not misunderstand me, the Bible is an absolutely brilliant book in every way. Divinely inspired, it’s the story of God’s Journey with mankind. It’s God’s Story Still, it’s better to talk to God directly through prayer and then read the Bible (Jam 2:23). And if in a given moment you can only do one or the other, choose God (Jam 4:5).

Lord Jesus, please teach me to respect your word and to love You. Teach me to recognize the sound of your voice. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.