One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalms 139. In this chapter, David reveals God's heart for and relentless pursuit of humanity. I always thought that the last person to give up on you was your mother, but there is no one on earth or in heaven above that is as relentless as our Heavenly Father. No matter where we go His Spirit will pursue. HE NEVER GIVES UP.... HE NEVER QUITS PURSUING unitl we are securely His and even when we are His, and stray, He is right there......pursuing us to the utter ends of the earth.
I love what David writes in Psalm 139:7-12, "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you."
David begins his narrative with a thought provoking quesiton, "where can I go that the Spirit of God will not pursue?" David answers his own question with this powerful revelation, "there is NO WHERE I can go, nor hide, that the Holy Spirit will not pursue." This simple but profound truth changed my life and has changed the life of multiplied thousands around the world. The truth that God, by His Spirit, found me.....saved me and set me free, is the greatest experiential revelation I know to date but this revelation is not for me to keep to my self, it is to be shared with the world. This is the Gospel or good news, "God pursued man, even to the depths of hell and raised man up with Him to live with Him in perfect relationship forever." There is NO WHERE you and I can go that our Heavenly Father isn't willing to pursue, confront and breathe new life into our soul!!
Salvation, is God pursuing lost man, finding man, confronting man and resurrecting man into newness of life. Revival is God pursuing HIS CHURCH, confronting HIS CHURCH, and BREATHING NEW LIFE into HIS CHURCH. This is how much our Father loves us.....HIS PURSUIT IS RELENTLESS!
Early Church Father, Clement, in his writings shared a story involving the great Apostle, then Bishop John which demonstrates the relentless pursuit of the heart of God:
When John the apostle returned to Ephesus from his exile on the island of Patmos, he was invited to numerous churches (likely being the only apostle still alive, and certainly the only one still remaining in Asia Minor). He went from church to church, appointing bishops, strengthening the people, and ordaining others who were marked out by the Spirit. John arrived in a city which Clement left unnamed on purpose and there he appointed a bishop. As he was doing so, he noticed a handsome, powerful youth, full of energy. He turned to the bishop and told him, "I commit this boy to you before the church and with Christ as witness. This is a charge to be taken seriously."
The bishop not only accepted the charge, but he took the boy home to live with him. He raised him and loved him, and eventually he baptized him.
Unfortunately, the bishop, somehow feeling that the seal of the Lord that he set on the young man was enough, relaxed his diligent care. The "premature freedom" was too much for the boy. He began to run in the company of other youths who did not have the same care for Christ. They were idle, committed to nothing, and practiced in reckless living. They drew him in by introducing him to luxuries and expensive entertainment. Winning his friendship, they brought him along on less acceptable activities, including highway robbery.Like a powerful horse let loose on the reins, he became more adept at cruelty than any of his friends. He was the fiercest and the most bloodthirsty, and soon he was the captain of a gang of thieves, feared throughout the town.
Some time passed before the church called on John again. By the time he returned, the bishop had given up hope on the young man and forgotten him. John the apostle, however, had not.
"Come now, O bishop, restore to us the deposit which I and the Savior committed to you before the eyes of the church, which you lead." The bishop was flummoxed. He assumed John was referring to some deposit of money, and age had simply dimmed his memory, but he didn't dare call the great John the Apostle a liar. He simply stood in confused and fearful silence. Then John said, "I demand the young man! The soul of my brother!" The bishop broke into tears. "He is dead," he replied. "Dead? How did he die? What kind of death was it?" John asked. "He is dead to God," the bishop replied. "He turned wicked, and he left. Now at last he is a robber, and he has taken possession of the mountain right in front of the church, along with his gang of thieves." He didn't give the bishop an inch. "A fine guard of a brother's soul I left here." "Get me a horse," he cried, "and someone to show me the way up the mountain!"
John the apostle wasted no time. He didn't change or wash, but aged and gray, he climbed on the horse and charged up the mountain.… and straight into the hands of the thieves. "Take me, then! That's why I'm here. Lead the way to your captain." The thieves approached their leader with their trophy. The young man was decked out with weapons, a broad, large, and fearful looking warrior. Weren't his friends astonished when he turned and fled at the sight of the wizened, old gentleman!
That old gentleman immediately forgot his age, and he took to flight after the captain as the gang stood with mouths agape. "Why are you running, my son?" John shouted after the young man. "I'm old and unarmed! Please, pity me! Don't be afraid! You still have hope of life." John shouted as he ran, never giving up. "I will give account to Christ for you, if that's necessary. The Lord died for us; I will willingly surrender my life for you! Stop! Believe! Christ has sent me!" The young man gave up. He stopped, turned, and looked down at the old man, John the apostle, then burst into tears. He threw himself into the apostle's arms and wept bitterly for a long time. Then he began to repent, baptizing himself a second time with tears. John dropped to his knees and pledged to the young man that he would find forgiveness from the Savior. He kissed his hand, and he led him back to the church.
John, also called the Apostle of love, pursued this young man, who had fallen away from his Heavenly Father. John, like our Heavenly Father, did not condemn or give up on the young man, BUT he pursued him, confronted him and breathed new life into him. THIS IS THE HEART OF OUR FATHER. He left heaven in pursuit of humanity. He found us.....confronted us........pursued us to the Cross, even to the grave and finally, He raised us up with Him in newness of life!!
Our God is RELENTLESS in His pursuit of the lost, broken and fallen. No matter where we go or how far we stray His Spirit is there beckoning us to come home. I pray that if you are not where you should be that the Spirit of God finds you, confronts you and breathes new life into you today!!
For those who know their God and are captured by His love. Be the one, like John, that never quits, never gives up on those who are lost, broken and fallen. BE RELENTLESS!!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
BE VALIDATED
The English word 'valid' originated from the Latin word validus which means strong. Uniquely, the opposite of validus is invalidus (same as English word invalid) which means weak. The difference between validus and invalidus is the addition of just two letters at the beginning of validus changing the entire meaning and direction of the word. God is our validator because He is our creator. He made us in His image and likeness and built in our DNA - His strength, destiny and purpose. Conversely, Satan, the thief, as Jesus called him in John 10:10 has only one strategy which is "to kill, steal and destroy." Satan hates God's creation, especially humanity, because we remind Satan of our creator. So Satan's very existence is filled with unbridled animosity and enmity toward God and man; thus, Satan's primary focus is to interject the unexpected, unintended, and undeserved with the intent to destroy LIFE - Satan hates life! Satan's sole mission is to CHANGE YOUR VALIDUS TO INVALIDUS and he has succeeded greatly because the world is full of people living in a place called IN-VALID because of something that happened early on in life or perhaps even later in life. Regardless of when, the enemy has succeeded in redirecting God's intended path and purpose for so many lives but the good news is that God always has and always will have a plan to bring resue, recovery and above all VALIDATION. God has a best, a perfect plan in which He promises to all who will come to Him, trust in Him and allow Him to restore the years the enemy has stolen and repair the damage the enemy has inflicted. God promises, I know the the plans I have for you, DECLARES THE LORD, plans for good, not for evil, to give you a future and hope (Jer.29:11). Just as Satan's mission is to destroy, it is the mission of Jesus Christ destroy the works of Satan (1 Jn.3:8) and bring healing to the multitudes!!
Our heavenly Father sent His word to heal us (Ps. 107:20) in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to validate the in-valid, to undo the curse and to restore us to paths of righteousness. Whether you are one who overtly wears the sign, invalidus, as a scarlet letter, or another who has managed to hide behind a false exterior, made with your own hands, plans and good works, God knows your heart and the actual state in which you live. Just as when Adam and Eve fell in the garden from a state of VALID to INVALID, the first thing they did was to attempt a cover-up by making with their own hands an exterior to camouflage their hearts. When God came to them (Gen. 3) after the fall He asked Adam "where are you?" It wasn't as if an omnipresent God did not know where they were in regards to their physical presence, God wanted to know where they where in regards to their spiritual position. He wanted to know if Adam and Eve where willing to come out from behind the "scarlet letter" or the "exterior camo" and embrace Him, the VALIDATOR. Immediately, after Adam and Eve engaged God and came out into the open, sin and all, God through the act of shedding innocent blood, made a covering out of HIS HANDS for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21). In that very act, God revealed His plan to cover, redeem and VALIDATE, or make strong again, the IN-VALID. The greatest news on earth is not that Jesus was but still is the validator of the in-valid!!
In John 5:1-6, there is an amazing and faith building story of a man, the Bible calls an in-valid man, who had been in that condition for 38 years. We do not know if he was born that way or if it happened later in life, but we do know that for 38 years this man lived in a perpetual state of weakness with little hope for change. Everyday this man sat around a pool, called Bethesda, with many other invalids. The Bible says that the angel of the LORD would come periodically and "stir" the waters and those that got in the waters during this time were supernaturally healed. I wonder how many church attenders actually believe that the same God that stirred the waters of healing is STILL STIRRING THE WATERS TODAY? Nevertheless, Jesus approached the in-valid man, and asked him, "Do you want to be healed?"
I don't know about you but the answer to that question would seem obvious; however, the man's response was not so obvious, "Sir, I have no MAN to help me get in when the waters are stirred." Jesus was not asking this question because He wondered if the man really wanted to be VALIDATED, Jesus asked because He wanted the man to redirect his faith from man to Him, the VALIDATOR. Anytime God wants you and I to redirect our faith in order to receive a miracle, God sends His word because "faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God" (Rm. 10:17).
At this moment, Jesus was challenging the man's staus quo. Jesus wanted the man to get real for a moment and truly contemplate the opportunity that was standing in front of him. Jesus knew the man had become so accustom to disappointment that He wanted him to focus his faith yet one more time. However, this time no man would be necessary because the the God-Man, the Word made flesh was extending an invitation for the in-valid man to be validated. When God extends an invitation or declares His will, He does so through His word. His word is what framed the universe (Heb. 1:3) and created everything from nothing (Gen 1). Therefore the word that He sends reveals the purpose for which it is sent and is empowered by the very life and breath of God to perform that purpose. When God's word is received and acted upon the supernatural takes place.
After challenging the man's staus quo, Jesus looks him in the eye and declares His word, "Get up, and take up your bed and walk (Jn. 5:8)!!" The Bible says, "AT ONCE the man was VALIDATED and took up his bed and walked. " The man did exactly what the word declared.
The same word sent 2,000 years ago from the mouth of Almighty God are just as alive, powerful and directed today. God still sends His word to heal because Jesus has not changed His mind, His ways nor His word. He is the same yesterday, today and will be forever. I believe that His word still works for those who will receive it and act on it just as the in-valid man did and received validation. Maybe, He is challenging your status quo. Maybe you need to be VALIDATED in some area of your life and I believe you will if you receive His word by faith today in Jesus name.
Our heavenly Father sent His word to heal us (Ps. 107:20) in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to validate the in-valid, to undo the curse and to restore us to paths of righteousness. Whether you are one who overtly wears the sign, invalidus, as a scarlet letter, or another who has managed to hide behind a false exterior, made with your own hands, plans and good works, God knows your heart and the actual state in which you live. Just as when Adam and Eve fell in the garden from a state of VALID to INVALID, the first thing they did was to attempt a cover-up by making with their own hands an exterior to camouflage their hearts. When God came to them (Gen. 3) after the fall He asked Adam "where are you?" It wasn't as if an omnipresent God did not know where they were in regards to their physical presence, God wanted to know where they where in regards to their spiritual position. He wanted to know if Adam and Eve where willing to come out from behind the "scarlet letter" or the "exterior camo" and embrace Him, the VALIDATOR. Immediately, after Adam and Eve engaged God and came out into the open, sin and all, God through the act of shedding innocent blood, made a covering out of HIS HANDS for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21). In that very act, God revealed His plan to cover, redeem and VALIDATE, or make strong again, the IN-VALID. The greatest news on earth is not that Jesus was but still is the validator of the in-valid!!
In John 5:1-6, there is an amazing and faith building story of a man, the Bible calls an in-valid man, who had been in that condition for 38 years. We do not know if he was born that way or if it happened later in life, but we do know that for 38 years this man lived in a perpetual state of weakness with little hope for change. Everyday this man sat around a pool, called Bethesda, with many other invalids. The Bible says that the angel of the LORD would come periodically and "stir" the waters and those that got in the waters during this time were supernaturally healed. I wonder how many church attenders actually believe that the same God that stirred the waters of healing is STILL STIRRING THE WATERS TODAY? Nevertheless, Jesus approached the in-valid man, and asked him, "Do you want to be healed?"
I don't know about you but the answer to that question would seem obvious; however, the man's response was not so obvious, "Sir, I have no MAN to help me get in when the waters are stirred." Jesus was not asking this question because He wondered if the man really wanted to be VALIDATED, Jesus asked because He wanted the man to redirect his faith from man to Him, the VALIDATOR. Anytime God wants you and I to redirect our faith in order to receive a miracle, God sends His word because "faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God" (Rm. 10:17).
At this moment, Jesus was challenging the man's staus quo. Jesus wanted the man to get real for a moment and truly contemplate the opportunity that was standing in front of him. Jesus knew the man had become so accustom to disappointment that He wanted him to focus his faith yet one more time. However, this time no man would be necessary because the the God-Man, the Word made flesh was extending an invitation for the in-valid man to be validated. When God extends an invitation or declares His will, He does so through His word. His word is what framed the universe (Heb. 1:3) and created everything from nothing (Gen 1). Therefore the word that He sends reveals the purpose for which it is sent and is empowered by the very life and breath of God to perform that purpose. When God's word is received and acted upon the supernatural takes place.
After challenging the man's staus quo, Jesus looks him in the eye and declares His word, "Get up, and take up your bed and walk (Jn. 5:8)!!" The Bible says, "AT ONCE the man was VALIDATED and took up his bed and walked. " The man did exactly what the word declared.
The same word sent 2,000 years ago from the mouth of Almighty God are just as alive, powerful and directed today. God still sends His word to heal because Jesus has not changed His mind, His ways nor His word. He is the same yesterday, today and will be forever. I believe that His word still works for those who will receive it and act on it just as the in-valid man did and received validation. Maybe, He is challenging your status quo. Maybe you need to be VALIDATED in some area of your life and I believe you will if you receive His word by faith today in Jesus name.
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