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Tag: revival

What can we learn from the First Century Church? Part 7

March 11, 2025 / / 0 Comments

The Simplicity of Christ

Jesus once asked His disciples, “Who do YOU think I am?” It was Peter who answered, “You are the Christ (Messiah, Anointed One), Son of the Living God!” Jesus then acknowledged that no human could have made this fact known unto Peter. While many realized that Jesus was at least one of God’s prophets, this ability to see beyond the surface of this humble human being was a gift from God. It was a divine revelation!

This was an important moment for Peter. He was beginning to understand heavenly things and this understanding would grow over time. This impetuous fisherman would eventually become an important ambassador for the Kingdom of God. His testimony inspires millions to this day. To Peter and many others, it was all about Jesus. Peter had been raised on the stories of his ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and others. Now this faith was personally His. He had an encounter with the One around whom all these stories were centered.

From the beginning, the people of God have tended to forget this truth. Life often became centered around rules and rituals that were designed to remind them of Him. They would often forget the reason for which He made them and called them unto Himself, so God would raise up individuals to remind them and call them back to genuine faith.

In a few generations this happened to the followers of Christ as well. As their numbers grew, the complexity of the Christian faith grew as well. The simplicity of gathering in His Name for fellowship, prayer and sharing His life together began to fade, and with it the glory of His manifest presence. This in turned weakened their influence in the outside world.

Forms and rituals began to take center place. Again, these forms and rituals were designed to remind them of Him (Luke 22:19), but without that personal revelation of the Living Christ, they became an end in themselves. He would not abandon His people. From time to time God would again raise up individuals that were filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit to challenge the status quo. It is these periods of what some call “revival” that have kept this faith alive over the centuries.

Sadly, some communities of believers today have become so cold that anyone so touched by the power and presence of God is viewed as a fanatic. They have become so comfortable in their predictable forms that any challenge to them is to be resisted. Does that sound familiar? Has anyone read the four Gospels and Acts lately? On the other side, some have become so experience oriented that they forget about their relationship with Jesus Himself, as they seek more for signs and wonders.

Paul saw the danger of these distractions. He knew that Satan would continue his distracting work. He called everyone back to the simplicity of Christ. He insisted that the greatest of all gifts and virtues is love. It must be the love that God has placed in our hearts for Him and one another that motivates everything we do. Yes, we need to learn from the bible and grow in the truth, but if we miss the point of the bible, Who is Jesus Christ, we miss eternal life as well. (2 Corinthians 11:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13, John 17:3).

Before the First Century was complete, Jesus called the formidable church at Ephesus back to her First Love. (Revelations 2:1-5) These people were working hard to stand against evil and to preserve the orthodox faith. Jesus commended them for this, and yet He had this complaint against them. Only repentance and a return to that first pure love would preserve their testimony on the earth.

Lord, set us all free from our own little kingdoms that we struggle to preserve. Help us to seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. Call us back to simple faith and devotion to You! Help us to genuinely love one another as You love us!

What can we learn for the First Century Church? Part 5

February 18, 2025 / / 2 Comments

The church in the book of Acts did not have telephones or the printing press, let alone radio, tv and the internet. Yet after Jesus ascended their numbers grew from the 120 that gathered in Jerusalem to 5,000 in a short time. Within 3 centuries Christianity became a dominant force in the Roman Empire. God has often chosen to use the few and the weak according to this world. He has also chosen to use you in a special capacity that belongs to you alone!

Do not believe the lie that you are insignificant! The Creator of the entire universe is calling you to turn from serving your will and the will of others to serving Him and His glorious purpose in the Kingdom of God! Trust Him today! You have a part in building a better world as He prepares you and molds you into His image. You can be a part in His Church, His body, that is crashing down the gates of hell!

Lately I have been looking to the New Testament and particularly the book of Acts and comparing the practices and methods of the early church with those of today. I would challenge you to do the same. Is it possible that our traditions and patterns of thinking have placed a heavy load on us that God never intended? Could these traditions and patterns of thinking actually hinder us from enjoying life in the fullness of God’s wonderful plan?

Jesus challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. Maybe not an easy path, but definitely one that will liberate us from the self-centered version of the Gospel that we often hear today. It is only in losing our lives that we truly find our lives fully in Him!

Light Of The World, Chapter Eleven: An Undying Hope

March 1, 2023 / / 2 Comments

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In the mid nineteen seventies, I was experiencing a wonderful renewal of my faith. In fact, it was so wonderful that none of the painful circumstances of that time discouraged me. I was also greatly blessed by believing members of my family and the people of the little country church that surrounded me with love and enthusiasm for our Lord! We were mostly at the bottom of the economic ladder but on top of the world with the joy of the Lord! I felt as though nothing could stop this movement of the Holy Spirit, and had already seen great miracles in the lives of those who loved Jesus.

Little consideration was given in my mind at the time of another force that was also actively at work but against us. Subtle efforts were often made by our adversary to discourage us, and sometimes humiliate us. Even some of our fellow Christians attempted to dampen our joy with prophecies of doom and gloom. We have seen many healings and miracles, but we have also seen those we love fail in health and even die at a young age. We have seen individuals rise to heights of faith and victory but later to fall into sin, bitterness, addiction and poverty. However the presence of Christ has never left us and the vision of a brighter future has kept us alive in our faith.

If I let my thoughts drift very long from the powerful word of God that He Himself has instilled in my heart, I begin to feel as if I can hear the enemy laughing and mocking me for believing the things that I have expressed here. Recently I was reminded of the weakness of short-term thinking. In our modern world we want everything now. All of my life I have been told that the coming of Christ is very near, and only then will we see things change. For now our part is simply to wait for that day to come. What do you suppose the devil thinks about that concept? I suspect he is pleased with our inactivity and complacency. It amounts to a sort of truce between us and him that he is not obligated to honor. I am not saying that those who hold this view stop praying and serving Christ. But I do expect that their expectation is lower than the Lord would have it to be.

Think of it! Jesus declared that we could have mountain moving faith! He even said that all things were possible if we could only believe! Could it be that the limit of what God can and will do is only in our minds?

In the past few years we have seen many signs that our society is in serious trouble. Christian values are constantly under attack, which in turn affects all families. The believing community is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. When we become hopeless and disillusioned, how can we inspire hope in others? Lately I am realizing that my fight is not so much with the world but with my own despair. Defeatist attitudes among Christians do not help either. There are far too many who have given up on fulfilling the purpose of God for their lives to light up the world. Their hope is only in an escape from it. There are also those who would rather join the world in the current downward spiral and indulge in the many pleasures (and pain) it has to offer. Both These are paths that offer the least resistance to our human nature.

Jesus called His disciples to courage and sacrifice. He challenged both religious and secular leaders to face the immanent rule of God over all. He proved that none of us have what it takes to overcome sin and death but also that we can do just that by holding on to Him.

Over time a deep pessimism has crept into our hearts, our churches and especially our biblical understanding. As much as I try to dance around this issue, I am forced after all to face it head on. Yes there are dire predictions in the scripture about the fate of humanity. Yes, Jesus Himself said there would be great trouble such as the world had never known. We already know that the past 2,000 years have been filled with godlessness, apostasy, plagues wiping out large portions of the population and wars killing even more. Today technology has provided the means to wipe out every living thing on the planet. It is a major miracle that we are all still here now. But that is my point. The world and its history belongs to God. It is the miracle of faith in Him that preserves our hope.

This hope involves eternity with Him in another dimension of course. But it also involves this material creation which He created for His pleasure and His glory. We neglect the ancient passages of scripture to our detriment. The great New Testament story and those who preserved that story for us were deeply indebted to those who had gone before. Their faith could be strong because they witnessed the fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies with their very own eyes. They also knew there was more to come. At this point I would like to plead with those of you who have come this far in our journey through the history of our faith. I am confident that if you can continue walking with us through this sweeping panoramic view of God’s eternal purpose, that this undying hope can stir your hearts to a fresh vision of His work in this very hour and in this very existence!

If like me, you desire to fully live in the moment as did the early Christians, you must first believe that this is even possible. These followers of Christ only had their Hebrew bible and the stories of their heroes of faith to look back upon. We have both the experiences of those who lived before Christ appeared and those who came afterward. If they could embrace the faith and miracle-working power of the older days, we might find we can embrace the lessons of both eras. Certainly those ancient believers can make us a bit uncomfortable as they were much less “civilized” than we think we are today. In some cases they seem even barbaric to us. Yet that very discomfort might be just what we need today in modern Christianity.

My hat goes off to the many pastors and teachers today who pray and exhort other believers to help fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. I am all for that! It is in fact, my belief that a greater understanding of what God has done and plans to do through us now can help empower us to find our place in that great mission! However when we only have short term thinking and look for quick fixes we can get easily discouraged and disillusioned. What God began with Adam and Eve He continued in the lives of untold millions after them. Four thousand years of preparation led up to the “fullness of time” when Jesus came preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God. God is patient and not running out of time to work out His plan. (2 Peter 3:9). My hope is to live to see the greatest turning to God that has ever happened in history. Yet, I can live and work in the expectancy of it today. Because of the Word of God that cannot fail, I can already see it, even if it is several lifetimes away!

May God shake us free from our complacency and apathy! What ever it takes! There is an adventure, a quest that is already underway for you and I to join! Underneath the decay and decline of society we see all around us, there is an undercurrent of faith and hope bubbling up. It is the Holy Spirit stirring hearts to believe in the impossible for the glory of God. The Gospel of the Kingdom is going out into all the world even now. It is the Good News of Jesus Christ and His reign over all, that begins in the hearts of you and I!

Proverbs 4:17-18:

17 For they (evil men) eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.

 

 

 

 

Free online book: Church History for the Curious

August 14, 2021 / / 2 Comments
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This book conveys the drama, the intrigue, the facts, the message and the people involved in the first two thousand years of Christianity. Learn about the roots of this great historic faith!

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Kingdom Power

August 22, 2019 / / 0 Comments

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First the Kingdom Part 23: Kingdom Power

There was a man sent from God whose name is John. In fact his mission was determined before he was born. He was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mothers womb. Instead of following in his fathers path as a priest of the levitical order, he would be the prophet to herald the coming of the Messiah of Israel.

The people who heard his message were called to repent of their sins because the Kingdom of God was near. Then they followed him into the Jordan River to be ceremonially cleansed as a part of their repentance. He would not permit his disciples to put their faith in him. He said another would come after he had baptized them in the water. John did not even feel worthy to take off the shoes of this one to wash His feet. He told them this this one would baptize them in the Holy Spirit and fire.

When Jesus came to be baptized by his cousin John, John refused. He would rather be baptized by Jesus. But Jesus insisted. When Jesus came up out of the water the heavens opened unto Him, a voice then came saying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then the Holy Spirit came and landed upon Him like a dove. From that time on, Jesus began demonstrating the power of God, the power of the Kingdom through the working of healings, miracles and delivering people from demon possession.

Both John and Jesus placed strong emphasis on Holy, godly living. They both respected the law of Moses which stood at the heart of the nation of Israel but they were also quick to point out that there was a wrong and a right way to observe the law. As other prophets of Israel they scolded the people who outwardly kept the law, while their hearts were far from loving the God Who graciously saved them from slavery.

Neither John nor Jesus left the people with heavy moral demands and no hope for fulfilling them. John told of the Holy Spirit and fire to come, and Jesus proved what the Holy Spirit could do to heal the minds, hearts and bodies of those who cried out to God for help. We must keep in mind that all of this is consistent with the history of Israel. Abraham and Sarah by faith received the miracle of a child in their old age, Jacob encountered God at Bethel and later received His blessing. Joseph had the help of the Spirit to interpret dreams for Pharaoh, and Moses was empowered by God to work miracles before Pharaoh and Israel. After that judges like Samson were empowered by the Holy Spirit with special abilities to serve the nation. David was anointed by the Spirit of God and was blessed to lead the armies and the nation. Solomon received supernatural wisdom, and prophets like Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Daniel served the people as the Holy Spirit spoke the Word of God through them.

It has always been this principle, God resists the proud, but give grace unto the humble.

If this message accomplishes anything at all, I hope and pray that you will be encouraged to humble yourselves before Him. It does not matter how successful you are in this life or if you were raised in a Christian home and never strayed from the faith. We all need to be humble before God. There is often a serious lack of supernatural ability in Christians to overcome temptations, fears, addictions, bad attitudes etc. Could the reason for this be that we have failed to received the fullness of this baptism, this gift that God through Christ has offered us? Could it be that we have been too proud to admit our need?

In John 3:3-5 Jesus said that we must be born of the water and the Spirit to enter into the Kingdom of God. I doubt that anyone reading this or hearing this podcast would argue that anyone could come to Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit. If any change of heart ever comes we know it had to come from the intervention of God and His grace. I certainly hope that you do not credit yourself with becoming a new creation, or a better person!

Is the New Birth the one and only act of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer? Jesus had dozens of followers before Calvary. Some of them had even been given the authority to work miracles as well. But there was an even greater work of the Holy Spirit to come. Jesus said that rivers of living water would flow out from the innermost being of those who believed in Him. When John the apostle recorded this statement he explained that this would happen after Jesus would be glorified. After His resurrection, Jesus told them how the time for Kingdom power was very near.

Christians believe that the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ was a world-changing event. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting their sins against them. The only thing left is for us is to receive the benefit of this reconciling work. This is where the preaching of the Gospel comes in. How can people believe in someone they do not know? How can they know if they are not told? How can they be told if God does not send his messengers? So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.(Romans 10:13-17).

The Cross and Resurrection of Christ makes everything else possible, including the promised coming of the Holy Spirit in power. People need to also hear the good news that God has provided all the power we will ever need to live in His Kingdom now. That aspect of the Gospel must also be proclaimed and believed. For thousands of years this truth has been largely forgotten. Today it is being declared around the world that kingdom power is available to those who believe, but amidst great confusion and controversy.

However in the Bible we see no evidence of a controversy on this subject. John and Jesus foretold of an immersion in the Holy Spirit, Luke in Acts detailed exactly how that happened. Calvary was a one-time, once and for all time event. Then the Day of Pentecost, when Christ poured out His Spirit on all humanity was the fruit of that. Together these two world-changing events herald the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the beginning of God’s Kingdom reign upon this earth! However, are there many who have received the gift of forgiveness brought at Calvary, but not the infusion of power brought at Pentecost? How can they know since they have not heard?

In Acts chapter nineteen there where some people in Ephesis who had heard the Gospel of the Kingdom most likely from disciples of John the Baptist. Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed, to which they answered, “we did not even know there was a Holy Spirit!” These folks were sincere, humble and hungry for God. They immediately received the more complete Gospel from Paul, were baptized in the Name of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit, evidenced by the gifts of tongues and prophesy.

Since the early Twentieth Century, more people have become aware of the power that has been available to believers since the Day of Pentecost. In their zeal to encourage other believers to receive this power they have stirred up controversy and a division exists among us to this day. Not only that, but counterfeit demonstrations of power have added to the controversy. The lack of discernment among those of us who accept any strange phenomena as from the Holy Spirit is also a problem.

Once God called His people to “come, let us reason together.” Could it be that the time has come to reason together on controversial subjects like End-time prophecy, the sign gifts, and the supernatural manifestations of the Kingdom of God? Established teachings for many generations have accepted that the days of miracles were over near the end of the apostolic era. It is acknowledged that the inspired writings of that first generation of church leaders have secured the “faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” The foundation has been laid for the church of later generations, and the basic errors have all been addressed. Therefore some reason that miracles are no longer useful or needed.

Even the controversy we are discussing has already been addressed in the New Testament! Paul explained that love is the greatest gift of all, but that we should still desire spiritual gifts so that we could build up one another in love! Why is this important?

The fact is that confidence in the bible is at an all-time low in our day, even among some who claim to be Christians! The same power of God that worked miracles to validate the message of the kingdom that the apostles brought is needed today. While we recognize that the Holy Spirit Himself has always validated the Word of God in the hearts of hearers throughout the ages, there is no indication in the Bible that God has stopped performing miracles for this same purpose.

While Jesus chastised those who clamor after signs alone, He continued to shock His generation with infallible proofs of His calling and message. Like Peter, who stepped out of the boat to meet Jesus on the water, may we focus on Jesus, His beauty, glory, power and love, step out in faith when He bids us, and trust in Him to support us when we fail. That risk is always possible, but the greatest failure might be to not step out at all!

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