1 John 3:1-3

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

There is a saying, "Perception Is!" And I find this to be a very true proclamation. Irrespective of what we are attempting to achieve, we are bound by our own thoughts and imaginations. Consequently, very often our own preconceived notions betray us and cause us to be less effective than we ought to be.  Conversely, we can overcome great obstacles and achieve unthinkable goals when we correctly understand our inner strengths and power. So yes, perception is!

Oh, and by the way, if you wonder why God is speaking to us again and again on our discharge of dominion, power and glory, let me attempt to explain. I believe God continues to speak to us on the same subject over and over again until we truly "get it" in our spirits. Unlike me, the Lord is not worried about being redundant.  He is only concerned that his will is done in us. With that said, I want take this opportunity to apologize for actions I took that undoubtedly led to our hearing the same message from the Lord over a prolonged period of time. My perception was flawed. But hopefully not anymore.

Of all the preachers I know if you were to ask me, I would have to humbly admit that I believe I am the most reachable and down to earth minister there is (Okay, perhaps one of the top 10)! lol My point is, with all my weaknesses and mistakes, I thought I had earthiness down pat. That has been my claim to fame.  Until today!

As we study the words of John, we find here in the 3^rd chapter the culmination of a principle that may not be as simply understood as one may think.  John calls us the "Children of God". And note, he prefaces the sentence with the word; "Now" indicating this designation is new, present and current; implying we have not always been children of God.  He goes on and proclaims, we have hope that in the near future we will be more like Jesus is; indicating both that Jesus is presently alive and we have a long way to go to be like him. But in either case, it is Christ doing in us and to us what he wants to do.

But the epiphany in these verses for me resides in the words, "The world does not know us, because it did not know him." In the context of this verse of scripture I always understood these words to mean that while I may not yet be like Jesus, I am not like the world either. I guess I considered myself in some spiritual limbo world – somewhere between heaven and earth, but certainly not on my way to hell any longer. And while my basic premise is correct (we have been changed) my flawed self perception gave me a faulty perspective, limiting what I thought of my role in the Gospel, my dominion, power and glory.

May I explain? When we review the life and times of the man Jesus Christ, we see a powerful prophet, miracle worker, teacher and preacher. But when we study him in the context of his day, aside from the miracles, signs and wonders, we see a man of the world.  He was in the world but not impacted by it.  He walked with sinners, yet did not know sin.  Jesus was simply, good people. The world did not recognize him as God, because he did not reveal himself to them. When he returns, every knee shall bow and tongue confess; but for now, our calling is to take the place of Christ on earth; not as super spiritual giants, but as regular good people.

Saints of God, imagine what we could do if we weren't taught to be afraid of people. How are we to reach the unreachable if we withdraw ourselves from society? How are we going to love the unlovable, when we don't care enough to take them in our arms and hold them? The statement, we are the children of God is not a just a badge of honor, it is also a calling and responsibility.

For too long, I thought I was transformed into something better than the world. Not yet! For all too long, I thought God cared for me above the average man or women on the street.  No he doesn't. God loves people, Jesus died for people. And I now understand my commission. I'm not called to go the churched, the saints or the religious.  I'm called to go to the people of the world, because, I'm a people too!

God Bless

Romans 8:28-30

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

As we conclude our discussion on Spiritual Investing, I pray we have gained valuable insight into the Lord's will for us because proper thinking has the power to change our lives in alignment with the will of Christ Jesus. Conversely, erroneous theologies and incorrect philosophies cause us to live lives that do not honor or bless the Lord our God.

Let us consider Romans 8.  It continues to be one of those passages of scripture consistently misinterpreted to the detriment of many simply because of the term "predestinate". Calvinistic predestination declares, "God, before the foundation of the world, chose certain individuals from among the fallen members of Adam's race to be the object of His undeserved favor. These and these only He purposed to save. The problem with this theology is that it negates the loving and true nature of God and replaces it with a gospel of convenience, complacency and conformity.  If God has not decided to save me, then I am not liable for my actions.  If you are not "selected" why should I witness to you? If I am going to be saved anyway, then I don't have to do anything to accompany my salvation. These have been the prevailing attitudes of too many Christians for far too long.

I believe we can refute the claim that God has chosen favorites without too much effort by simply reading Timothy 2:4, God ...desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, or  2 Peter 3:9 God is ...not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  So as we look at Romans again, we can clearly see that God has a purpose and design in his heart for everyone that loves him, but he does not necessarily exercise control.  Please allow me to explain.

We know God knows and sees all.  In his foreknowledge he already is cognizant who will follow him and who will not; but he doesn't choose to interfere. God allows us to make the choice.  Ultimately, it is you and I that have to yield to the unction of the Holy Ghost pulling at our heartstrings to come into the arch of safety and be saved. It is at the moment of your salvation that you are now predestined and preordained to become like Jesus.  The predestination is about Jesus. The decision God has made for us is to be like Jesus. Salvation is your choice; what we become once we surrender our lives to God is his business.

Let me try this again! We all fall and fail God at times. God does not cause us to sin. We decide to sin. But God decides how to evaluate our sins in relationship to our fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ. As we stand under his shed blood, we find grace and mercy with God though we don't deserve it any more than the sinner that doesn't know the Lord. Without the justification and intersession of Christ, God holds us guilty of the crimes we have committed and the penalty of sin is death.  Only through Christ can we be justified.  Only through Christ will we ever be glorified.

Child of God, can you now see the glorious investment Christ made in each of us? Can you now feel that strong sense of holy obligation to surrender our wills into the hands of Jesus? You and I hold the key to heaven in our hands.  As we walk with the Lord, share his word with others and live for him, we open the door for countless souls to be redeemed. The perfect will of God is to see that everyone is saved. We are not blameless when there are folk that don't make it.  Did we do everything we could?  Did we demonstrate the correct attitude? Jesus invested everything he had on us.  Have we demonstrated we are worthwhile investments?  Let us strive to walk worthy of the vocation with which we have been called!

God Bless

John 10:1-10

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers". This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly".

When we read about the ministry of Jesus, we most often see him in very social settings meeting the needs of others. His first recorded public miracle was turning water into wine at a party because they had run out. If we fast forward to his last function we find him hanging out with his friends for dinner where he served them by washing their feet. All between the two events Jesus was in and out of the homes and gathering places of the people of his time, serving their needs and sharing with them the glorious Kingdom to come.  I don't know that he ever ran a revival, or held a convention.  I don't see where he officiated weddings or was asked to be eulogist for many funerals; but I know he was always the life of the parties he attended!  He used to anointing not to be served but to serve.

Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of our Lord Jesus during his ministry on earth was his unwavering and steady resolve to serve. Aside from all the miracles, signs and wonders that often captivate our minds and imaginations, the truest test of why Jesus came, and what was important to him can be found in what he spent most his time talking about and doing.  The entire time he was here, Jesus served.  He preached, he taught and he demonstrated his devotion to his calling to serve beyond every other activity. Undoubtedly understanding the short time he would have here, Jesus relentlessly gave of himself that we may have eternal life. And in the end, his service bought us an opportunity we could not have received without his assistance.

This servant model is vitally important for us to understand if we ever hope to emulate the characteristics of Christ or replicate the anointing he possessed. Now, it would be foolhardy for any of us to think we could in some manner duplicate his miracles. It would be preposterous for us to contend we could imitate his wisdom or command his charisma. But each of us can certainly adopt his passion to serve.

Child of God, please hear my heart on this matter. Jesus had the correct view of himself and never allowed anyone to change it.  He never internalized the accolades and praise. Though he did miracles, he never referred to himself as The Miracle Worker. Though he raised the dead, walked on water and did countless other signs and wonders, he never allowed the opinion of others to change his opinion of himself or color his activities. He was brought to us to serve, and that's exactly what he did.  He came that we could obtain eternal life, and that's exactly what he did.

As we review our calling and responsibilities, remember we are re-born in the image of Christ to become like him.  We are to take over where he left off.  We are not yet in our glorified state; consequently, we must serve him in our imperfect carnal state with the limitation of the gifts we possess. But the key element and common denominator in all our lives is service. Service calls for inconvenience. Service may require travel.  Service may place us in unfamiliar setting and less than desirable circumstances. But wherever we find ourselves, take advantage of the opportunity and serve. And when we get there remember to bring life to our parties!

God Bless. 

Luke 12: 41-48

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"

And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

When you study the bible, it's hard not to love Peter.  He is so earthy that most of us can certainly identify with him.  Luke records Jesus sharing wisdom concerning his coming Kingdom and the responsibilities associated with those in his service, and all Peter can worry about is exactly who Jesus is directing these heard lessons to.  Sound familiar?

We know Peter's story all too well and how fear and his inflated ego finally got the best of him when under immense pressure he vehemently denied association with Christ. I mention his ego, because I contend that more than the fear of death, Peter was convinced that he was entitled to some special place in the ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Kingdom of Christ. So, Christ death ended the possibility of him ever having his dream job; so he simply quit following Jesus at that moment. I'm glad he came back; but he had to come back with a different mindset.

This is so important for each of us to understand. Our perceptions of what following Jesus means will always determine the extent we are willing to follow him.  The more we understand about our authority, the more we will take control of our responsibilities. But if we are convinced we are without authority, power or control, we will automatically shy away from any corresponding responsibilities; and rightfully so. If I have no power, then I have no reason to believe that I will be successful in battling my adversary. But if I understand that the victory is already given to me, then I will walk and talk with entirely different viewpoint.

Let's review our lesson. This unfaithful servant lost hope that the promises of his Master we imminent and true, so he changed his behavior to correspond to his present condition instead of looking forward to the future.  The problem was he had been given total authority over his Master's affairs, but didn't adopt his Master's character and concern.

Child of God, you have been given incredible authority through Jesus Christ.  You have authority over sin, sickness, demons and death, and so much more.  But most of us have been convinced we are without authority, so we operate well short of the power we have access to. But please note the warning and admonishment of our Lord.  The fact that we fail to step up and take authority does not excuse us from the responsibility of doing his will.  It makes success a bit more difficult, but we still are held accountable for doing his will.

My prayer is that each of us find our perfect place in Christ.  I am determined to preach a Gospel of freedom in Christ Jesus for all his creation. We must let go of those messages of bondage that cause our spirits to retreat from engaging in warfare, and self-determination in our individual ministries. With salvation comes authority and power.  With authority and power comes responsibility.  The Kingdom message is our responsibility.  Souls are our responsibility. Salvation and the dissemination of the Gospel of peace throughout the entire world is our responsibility. We have been given everything we need. So we owe Jesus everything we have.  And yes, this message is directed to you!

St. Matthew 25:1-13

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The gospel of St. Matthew records Jesus telling the story of the "Ten Virgins" as an analogy to explain the principle of heaven.  And in it, he painstakingly goes over the details he wants his followers to keep in mind so they will not be unprepared in the day of his appearance. This fact is important to keep in mind primarily because it lets those of us who follow the Lord know the importance of keeping our minds on the ultimate prize – the return of Jesus Christ.

Sadly, this fact is often lost in our modern theology. Whether we come from the school of thought that biblical knowledge is superior to all else, or whether we contend miracles, signs, wonders and tongues is the standard, or hold to the premise that prosperity is the key to wholeness in God; we all miss the mark when we fail to keep Christ and his return central to everything we say, do and believe.

While reading these verses, I thought about weddings I've been involved with. I've been in dozens and I've found the most beautiful and memorable weddings are those that were planned well. A good Wedding Planner has contingency plans in the event of an emergency or unforeseen circumstance. While the goal of every wedding is to get married, the process can be overwhelming if not properly planned. And no matter how many people help, ultimately, the responsibility rest on the bride.  It's her day.  It's her responsibility.

The same can be said about the virgins waiting for their bridegroom. After all is said and done, the one thing we can not deny is the fact that the foolish virgins had the same opportunity to fill their lamps, but failed to do so.  They had no one but themselves to blame.

Child of God, in this day of irresponsible living, where it is in vogue to blame everyone for everything that goes wrong in our lives (the school system instead of the parents, the government instead of the individual community, the job instead of the lazy worker) Jesus let's his children know we don't have that same luxury. We will never be able to look at him and declare, "I didn't know".  We can not say to the Lord, "you didn't inform me" or "I never had the opportunity".

With every day we live and every breath we take, we have another golden opportunity to move into alignment with the plan of God for our lives.  Your local assembly may be a great place, full of resources and wonderful bible teachers, but it is not ultimately responsible for your salvation.  You are! Your pastor, bishop or Reverend may be the most wonderful person on the planet, but he or she is not responsible for your salvation.  We can neither save you nor banish you.  You must make an account for your own soul salvation.  Are you striving to be a good Wedding Planner!

God Bless

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:4-11 (New International Reader's Version)
I have many reasons to trust in my human nature. Others may think they have reasons to trust in theirs. But I have even more. I was circumcised on the eighth day. I am part of the people of Israel. I am from the tribe of Benjamin. I am a pure Hebrew. As far as the law is concerned, I am a Pharisee. As far as being committed is concerned, I opposed and attacked the church. As far as keeping the Law is concerned, I kept it perfectly. I thought things like that were for my benefit. But now I consider them to be nothing because of Christ. Even more, I consider everything to be nothing compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. To know him is the best thing of all. Because of him I have lost everything. But I consider all of it to be garbage so I can get to know Christ. I want to be joined to him. For me, being right with God does not come from the law. It comes because I believe in Christ. It comes from God. It is received by faith. I want to know Christ better. I want to know the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings. I want to become like him by sharing in his death. Then by God's grace I will rise from the dead.

Though it may be hard to believe by simply looking at me, I am an avid sports enthusiast. I love running, riding my bike and playing basketball. I enjoy the outdoors. I love fishing, hitting some golf balls, hiking and camping. I get a kick out of being active. But all these activities require sacrifice. To participate in any meaningful manner, I have to exercise, eat right, drink water and do many of the things I don't really like doing. On one side I have my precious activities and on the other I'm challenged to discipline myself to perform at my optimal level. And though I may not look like an athlete or perform in an impressive manner, I value the ability and opportunity to still be active and mobile. And irrespective of what anyone else may say, I consider myself successful because I'm staying true to what I love to do. I don't do what I do for people, I do what I do for the love of sport.

Paul reminds us through his epistle to the Philippians of his personal history as a successful religious figure in the Jewish culture. He did everything that was needed for a young man to make it big in the Hebrew tradition. But God had other plans for him. His zeal and religious fervor caused him to run into Jesus and was forever changed. Once he met Jesus, Paul was challenged to realign his value system and came to the conclusion that a life with Christ at the center is of more value than anything this world has to offer. And because Christ now becomes the barometer with which he measures all things in his life, Paul defines a successful life as one that comes to intimately and personally know Jesus Christ as the suffering Savior. No longer could he simply live with an intellectual consciousness of the existence of God, because of love he was called and compelled to participate at the most intimate level. And he continues to call us now.

Child of God, herein lies one of our times greatest dilemmas. We are prosperous beyond imagination. We have access to wealth untold; and yet to maintain our dedication to what we confess to believe, we have to embrace a crucified, smitten and suffering Savior. As much as we try and clean him up with new doctrines and homemade theologies, we serve a figure that in human terms is not very attractive.

In another epistle Paul writes in Galatians 1:6-8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Let me conclude with this. If we seek to keep our past like it has always been, we lose the ability to grow and to make changes that God may be calling for. If we seek to immerse ourselves in our present time, we surrender our dedication to the Christ of the cross and all he stood for. If we plan to identify with the triumphant Christ we must first fellowship with the suffering Christ. Like the old adage, No pain, no gain. We must immerse ourselves into who he is right now! Our Suffering Savior is a future King. Though by faith we experience it, his Kingdom is yet to be revealed. We must do what we do not out of tradition, promise of prosperity or self fulfillment. We do what we want simply, For the Love of Christ!

God Bless

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach (deliver) good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.