Category: Blog Posts (Page 41 of 91)

Coming in Power!

May 9, 2019 / Dan Beaty / 0 Comments

Subscribe: RSS

First the Kingdom part 17, Coming in Power.

From the beginning of our discussions concerning the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven, We have tried to bring a back a balance which constitutes a major change in perspective for some. For many years I was taught that the Kingdom of God only belonged to the future. For the most part I heard about the experience believers would have in heaven with Christ after they die. In other times I was told about His eminent return to judge the world and to set up His Kingdom then. I was told nothing about the presence of the Kingdom of God in the earth now.

Please do not misunderstand me. While I have made a serious effort to show from the scriptures that Jesus Christ has already begun His reign in many, we do not discount the many passages in scripture which point to a grand and glorious future in the Kingdom. In both the old and new testaments we find many places that speak of indescribable power, glory, peace and joy to be experienced here on earth as well as in eternity. To claim all such events as in the past or present is to weaken the very force of the language and weaken the very hope that God has placed within our hearts! It is even difficult for me to understand how anyone who has truly spent any time in the presence of Christ could possibly be satisfied with the present state of humanity! We of all people must know that He would not be satisfied!

Let me tell you now that while all of the encouragement and joy I have in the present comes only from the presence of Christ in my life, much of that comes from what He has revealed to me by His Spirit about our future in the Kingdom of God! The difference in how I have come to understand it all today is that you and I have a part now in the Kingdom as that future unfolds!

Christ has come in power already many times. First He demonstrated His power over sickness, disease, and even nature. Finally He submitted to the judgment of evil men for the glory of God and to atone for our sins. In glorious power He returned from death in a resurrected body, and gathered his followers to confirm His Lordship in them.

After that He promised that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them, and that by His power they would witness of Him throughout the world! In Luke’s record in Acts, we see that promised power in action, bringing thousands into the Kingdom of God.

The Holy Spirit has always been with us since that time, and has often expressed that same power through His church in marvelous ways throughout history. Those of us who truly know our own weaknesses also know how dependent we are upon His sweet presence and mighty power to live as effective witnesses for Him!

Like immortal words of the great entertainer, Al Jolson, who said “You ain’t heard nothing yet!” concerning the glory of Christ we can say, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

The Spirit of God in His prophets have given us a few small snapshots of what is in store for those who love Him. From these and the witness of the Holy Spirit in us we can actually be “caught up,” as the apostles Paul and John were to see the future even clearer!

1 Corinthians 2:9-10:

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
NKJV

Perhaps you have seen some strange things coming from people who believe the Holy Spirit is leading them. I hope that does not cause you to shrink back from considering what the Spirit of God might teach you as it lines up with the apostles and prophets of Christ when He was certainly leading them! Consider the more abundant life that Christ said He came to give you! That is one with victory in your life today and even hope for untold millions of others on this planet! God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance!

There is a great and wondrous mystery surrounding the future coming of Christ to the world. In all honesty I cannot comprehend it! There are aspects that in the Bible seem absolutely terrifying! And yet every true believer and lover of Christ has this tremendous longing for His full and final appearing. Even today we recognize that He has appeared to us in some form, and that very appearance has changed us. From the Word of God we know that our transformation is ongoing and that we can continue to experience Him progressively. However from the Word we also know that there is a change coming that will eclipse anything that anyone in the history of the world has ever seen.

It thrills me to think about it! It also thrills me to know that we are not simply waiting for some great event in the future. We are tasting the powers of the age to come now, and we get to participate it it today! Eventually I want to talk more in detail about that participation. For now I hope we can simply revel in the knowledge that the Creator and master of every single atom and molecule in this entire universe has a wonderful purpose and destiny in mind for us all. The vision of that purpose can become brighter and brighter each day as we move toward it with each step.

At the end of the journey our Lord Jesus Christ awaits for a meeting with each of us face to face. At the end of history every eye shall see Him! His reward to those who love Him and faithfully serve Him is that final transformation. When we see Him as He is, we become like Him! When He finally and fully appears, we get to appear with Him in glory! Then the groaning of the physical creation will end. When God’s sons and daughters come to the measure of the stature of His fullness, when they are fully conformed to His image and are finally revealed, then the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of death and corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God!

My hope is that our hearts and minds can be filled with the vision of His glory today, but also that such a vision will empower us to fulfill His will for us. Yes there is a future ahead that is beyond words to describe it. That future begins now, as we continue to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We may not even understand all of what that means to us at the moment, but He will reveal all in His time.

For now we can cry out with our brother John in the Revelation, “Even so come Lord Jesus!”

The Paradigm Shift

May 2, 2019 / Dan Beaty / 0 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

First the Kingdom part 16, The Paradigm Shift

The title of this podcast is a fancy word phrase used in science that is definitely not found in the bible. I find that sometimes biblical words become so worn out over time that a modern term can actually refresh their true meaning. Repentance, for example is not a word often used today in modern conversation. It is common today to think more in terms of regret or being sorrowful for our actions.

Repentance can include those emotions, but the original meaning has more to do with a change in our thinking. I like paradigm shift because it describes a major change in how we think because the very framework from which we reason has changed. A good example is in what is called the Copernican Revolution. In the sixteenth century scientists believed in the Ptolemaic system which placed the earth at the center of the universe, with the sun, moon, planets and stars revolving around it. What we know now as planets were thought to be “wandering stars” because their perceived orbit around the earth was irregular.

Then Copernicus challenged this theory and proposed that the earth was not the center, but one of several bodies that revolved around our sun. After many years his theory was accepted and everything changed about the way the universe was understood.

When Jesus came preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, he came with a challenge to change the way we think, the way we feel, and ultimately how we live. He did not just tell everyone what to do, but He introduced the real reason for doing right. It is time to recognize the kingdom or reign of God over us all. He is the only reason we are here, and the only purpose we have for being! And that IS good news! Why? Because since we began to make up our own reasons and plans, there has been nothing but turmoil in this world. Only those who hear the Word of God and live under His authority find their true place among the sun, moon, planets and stars that He created!

Everything about this series of teachings is because of the paradigm shift, or change in our thinking that God intends for our good. From the beginning it was His plan for us to reflect His character and to rule the earth in His right ways. He has not given up on that plan, in spite of how things might look. Too often in Christianity we only look back at the fall, and then to the Cross where the sins of the fall are forgiven. It is hard for us to remember the purpose that God had before the fall, and to look for the time when that purpose is fulfilled in us and in this earth. It is of course about our need to be redeemed from the fall, but more importantly it is about satisfying God’s desire for us! He still wants to have people to bear His image and fully reflect His nature and character!

While the problem of sin should not be minimized, the solution that God provided in Jesus Christ has more than eclipsed that problem! There is a paradigm that seems to see the problem of sin and rebellion as almost too great for God to solve. Even in popular culture the outlook is becoming so pessimistic that total annihilation seems inevitable. Will God scrap His original plan and start over with a few as He did in Noah’s day? Scripture in some places seem to be saying that, but in each case the context must be considered.

One reason for my optimism is that after over 2,000 years, the Gospel continues to change lives. Jesus is no longer with us in person as a man, but He continues to melt the hardest of hearts. Faith and courage are everywhere, and even more so when resistance is met. The most powerful reason however comes from the living Word of God. His Word has burned into my heart and mind a view of His power, goodness, lordship and love that will not allow me to give up on His purpose! Once my eyes were opened, the evidence became overwhelming!

For the past 200 years a dark, depressing, pessimistic view of the future has prevailed in many churches. I believe it is more born of great and terrible events like 2 world wars, the Great Depression, and the atomic age, than from the Bible. The Bible gives us the true picture of our desperate situation, of course. It also is honest about the things we as humans bring upon ourselves. At the same time it tells of a God and Savior Who sees past the failures of humanity, and Who has sufficient love, grace and power to perform His good will towards us.

Isn’t it terrific that the universe does not revolve around me, my faults, my virtues, my abilities? Isn’t it a relief that fate of the world does not rest upon my shoulders or your shoulders? In fact the universe and the history of the world begins and ends with God who is pure and perfect love, and always sufficient in every situation.

It is my hope that the prevailing paradigm of doom and despair will be replaced with a new paradigm of hope, not only for me and my little circle of family and friends. Christ died for us all. In this hopeful view we are empowered to do great things by the power of God! Jesus Himself said that we could do even greater works than He did 2,000 years ago! Let us hear what the Holy Spirit of God is saying to us today. Let us cast aside the dark future that Satan has in mind and press forward against all odds because in Christ we are more than conquerors through Him and His love!

Listen to the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans:

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 11:33-12:2 NASB)

My belief is that the Holy Spirit of God is in the process of drawing us nearer to Him, convincing us to offer ourselves more completely to His purpose. In this way we are empowered to be different from the unbelieving world, having minds that are renewed by His living Word! We are becoming literally transformed into His very image, to demonstrate the Kingdom of heaven here on earth, proving His good, acceptable and perfect will to all!

We hope this series on First the Kingdom has been helpful to you. To continue in this study with us, we invite you to “like” and “follow” https://www.facebook.com/livingtruthcom/ or subscribe to our blog on https:livingtruth.com

Upon This ROCK!

April 25, 2019 / Dan Beaty / 0 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

First the Kingdom, part 15: “Upon this Rock”

When I was a young boy I was taught the basic Bible stories and about Jesus Christ, who came to die for our sins, and rose again for our justification. When I read the Bible for myself I knew the words of Jesus were especially important since they were often printed in red. Our family and our church believed that Jesus is not just a prophet or a good man, but truly God revealing Himself in human form. I took this for granted as well.

When I became a teenager I drifted away from my Christian roots, but felt God calling me back in my early twenties. I returned to the church I attended before only because I knew many of the people there, and about that same time I went to work for an uncle who was also a preacher. One day I said something that startled him. It was something to the effect of what is the big deal about why we believe the way we do about Jesus?

Immediately something came over him, well the Holy Spirit came over him and he began preaching to me right there in the kitchen of the house we were painting! I was dazed as he began from Genesis to Revelation telling about the Person of Christ Who was in the beginning, and created all things! Scripture after scripture rolled off of his tongue for some time and I can tell you that was when I first began to receive the Revelation of Jesus Christ!

From that time on, the Bible opened up to me in a brand new way. I began to see Christ everywhere! Every character and every story seemed to point to and teach me more about Him! How can I explain my experience to people who live in the same time and culture as I have, and who really think as I did then, that they know who Jesus really is? All I can do today is say like a certain blind man in the Gospel of John, “I was blind, but now I see!”

Since that time my life has never been the same. It is wonderful to me to know about the humanity of Jesus. He was born, grew up in a small town, came to be baptized by John, and was anointed by the Holy Spirit to work miracles. Then He submitted to tremendous suffering and humiliation as a man on the cross. Finally He returned from the grave, still in the body of a man, but now a glorified body!

Ultimately He returned to the glory that He had with the Father before time. This is the Jesus that I discovered that day in that kitchen. He is Jesus Christ, the Lord of all! This very Jesus spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying: ”

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first , and I am the last ; and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)

Hundreds of years later, He appeared to the apostle John saying,;

Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that lived, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17-18),

And in Revelation 1:8:

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty .

There is no Kingdom without the King. Two thousand years ago Jesus brought the announcement that the time for the Kingdom of God had come. It would not be like any other kingdom. It was not a kingdom that could be destroyed by fire, or physical weapons. It was supernatural from the start, but also very real. The King of this Kingdom was the servant of all, and therein was the real source of His power! Yes, He could call fire down from heaven, or 10,000 angels to fight against His enemies. He has that kind of power after all. But His reign is different. It begins in the hearts of individuals.

Even the hardest of hearts have been known to melt in His Presence. There is both an awesomeness and a tenderness about Him. The surrender to His reign is a sweet surrender. It is the only way to find freedom from our fears, our anxieties, and our evil desires. This sweet surrender is also the only way to maintain that freedom. In that freedom is also the authority to overcome the darkness, the bondage of sin and death. His desire is for all of us to know all the privileges of life in the Kingdom of God!

The story of the disciple and apostle Simon Peter has always fascinated and blessed me. Here was a man of the outdoors, a professional fisherman. When his brother Andrew realized that Jesus was the Messiah, he brought Him to Jesus. Immediately Jesus nicknamed him Cephas, from an Aramaic word meaning a stone. Often in the New Testament the Greek form for “rock” is used and he is known as Peter. Shortly after he and his brother Andrew, along with the brothers and fellow fishermen James and John answered the call of Jesus to follow Him.

What do you suppose motivated these men in their commitment to learn from Jesus about the Kingdom of God and to spread the Good News that it had finally come? We know that at least some of them had personal ambitions of importance in the Kingdom. James and John hoped to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus when He came into power. This, no doubt was before they understood the full plan. (Mark 10:35-40).

Peter came to be one of the Lord’s closest companions. Only Peter, James and John were there to witness His transfiguration and conversation with Moses and Elijah. However One of the more publicized events in the life of Peter is found in Matthew 16:13-20:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.
NASU

Peter made the bold confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God! The Hebrew prophets had long foretold of a deliver with divine power to rule over Israel and ultimately the world. In Hebrew he would be called the Messiah, meaning “anointed One,” which translated into Greek is “Christos,” and into English as “Christ.” Others had come before and stirred up the hope in many, but this time was different!

Jesus declared that Peter had received a supernatural revelation from heaven. This understanding did not come from human reasoning, but from God. From this passage some people believe that Peter himself is the Rock upon which the Church of Jesus Christ is built. From other New Testament writings, including those of Peter, we know that Jesus is the Rock with a capital R, and the only foundation upon which the Church is built. On the other hand, Peter, along with the other apostles and prophets are stones in that foundation. Important to this foundation is the Revelation of Who Jesus is. Going back to my earlier testimony, it is possible to know intellectually who Jesus his, but the revelation of Him is a supernatural experience like that which these folks had.

Paul, who was not with the original 12, was also blessed. He had his own revelation of the glorified Christ which is recorded in the ninth chapter of the book of Acts. Later, he claimed his apostleship based upon that encounter, saying, “Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1). While the apostles were first in line to know the Lord in this way, they are not to be the last. Paul’s prayer was that ordinary believers would receive from their Heavenly Father the same “spirit of wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:16-23).

This is the foundation upon which The Church of Jesus Christ can exercise Kingdom authority! This is the living Body of Jesus Christ, against which the Gates of Hell cannot stand! Everyone who loves Jesus Christ can know Him better! To know Him IS life eternal! Even the great apostle Paul after all of his missionary accomplishments only wanted to know Him more.

Heavenly Father, place that same hunger in our hearts to know You more, and satisfy that hunger as only You can!

Category: Blog Posts (Page 41 of 91)

Coming in Power!

The Paradigm Shift

Upon This ROCK!

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Links to Other Resources

Meta