Tuesday, November 13, 2012
"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers. Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again before I depart and am no more." Psalm 39:12-13
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Mobile Church
"The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish." Proverbs 14:11
John Gills commentary: "he house of the wicked shall be overthrown,.... Houses built to perpetuate their names and eternize their memory; and which, though built high and stately, strong and firm,yet by one accident or another shall come to ruin, when they imagined they would continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations, Psalm 49:11; or their families shall become extinct, none to be their heirs and inherit their estates, and transmit their name to posterity; or the substance of their house, their riches and wealth, especially that gotten dishonestly, shall waste away: and in a spiritual sense the house or hope of such, as to eternal salvation, being built on the sand, or something of their own, their external duties, or an outward profession of religion, shall not stand; though they lean upon it and would hold it fast, but it shall fall, and great shall be the fall of it; and particularly the apostate church of Rome, that synagogue of Satan, that habitation of devils, that hold of every foul spirit, and cage of every unclean bird, shall be overthrown with an utter overthrow, shall fall and never rise more, Revelation 18:2;
but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish: their low and mean cottages, which are put up quickly, like tents movable from place to place, yet shall be established, Proverbs 15:25; their families shall become numerous like a flock of sheep, Psalm 107:41; and their substance increase; they shall flourish in worldly things and grow rich, or however in spirituals, in girls and grace; shall flourish in the courts of the Lord, and tabernacles of the most High, like palm trees and cedars; for the allusion is to the flourishing of trees, Psalm 92:13; especially they will be in such flourishing circumstances in the latter day, when antichrist will be destroyed, and when the tabernacle of God will be with men, Psalm 72:8."
John Gills commentary: "he house of the wicked shall be overthrown,.... Houses built to perpetuate their names and eternize their memory; and which, though built high and stately, strong and firm,yet by one accident or another shall come to ruin, when they imagined they would continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations, Psalm 49:11; or their families shall become extinct, none to be their heirs and inherit their estates, and transmit their name to posterity; or the substance of their house, their riches and wealth, especially that gotten dishonestly, shall waste away: and in a spiritual sense the house or hope of such, as to eternal salvation, being built on the sand, or something of their own, their external duties, or an outward profession of religion, shall not stand; though they lean upon it and would hold it fast, but it shall fall, and great shall be the fall of it; and particularly the apostate church of Rome, that synagogue of Satan, that habitation of devils, that hold of every foul spirit, and cage of every unclean bird, shall be overthrown with an utter overthrow, shall fall and never rise more, Revelation 18:2;
but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish: their low and mean cottages, which are put up quickly, like tents movable from place to place, yet shall be established, Proverbs 15:25; their families shall become numerous like a flock of sheep, Psalm 107:41; and their substance increase; they shall flourish in worldly things and grow rich, or however in spirituals, in girls and grace; shall flourish in the courts of the Lord, and tabernacles of the most High, like palm trees and cedars; for the allusion is to the flourishing of trees, Psalm 92:13; especially they will be in such flourishing circumstances in the latter day, when antichrist will be destroyed, and when the tabernacle of God will be with men, Psalm 72:8."
God is doing a work in His people that are in search of something more, something that is real and truth. Many would say that those that feel the call to be mobile, to break from the normal routine of Christianity Religion are somehow backslidden or lost. What they don't realize is that they yearn for truth, for something more, and sometimes that truth takes many down a road very few dare to go. There truth [John 4:20] consists of what is within the walls of their church building; and denomination; what church history has determined to be the road map of truth. We build mult-million dollar complexes to hold three services to entertain, not to fellowship. Many think fellowship is just showing up, but if that were true, then on every given Sunday all those that attend a football game are fellowshipping. Being mobile and not bound by walls gives you much more freedom to fellowship with other believers. Gives you much more richer and spiritfilled experience.
God is calling us to be mobile, to pitch our tent and follow Him, to move about from place to place to be ready to pack our tent and move to the next place and journey He is calling us too. Not to build a fortress to confine us. God is spirit and we much worship Him in spirit truth. John 4:21
God is calling us to be mobile, to pitch our tent and follow Him, to move about from place to place to be ready to pack our tent and move to the next place and journey He is calling us too. Not to build a fortress to confine us. God is spirit and we much worship Him in spirit truth. John 4:21
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
True Spiritual Wisdom
Why do we ask for spiritual wisdom and knowledge? Do we ask for it with wrong motives? I have being praying this daily in my walk that my eyes would be opened to His wisdom and understanding and the knowledge of Him.
" that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, "
(Eph 1:17)
"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
(Col 1:9)"
I realized as I prayed this many times, I was missing the mark. I was praying with wrong motives...I was asking for the benefit for myself. It was slight and deceptive, I was confident that I was asking correctly...but in the end it was for selfish reasons.
But as I began to really look closely at the first few verses in Colossians, it changed for me.
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
(Col 1:9)
why was Paul praying with this in mind? Lets look at the following verses:
"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, in every bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. " (Col.1:10)
"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy," (Col 1:11)
"giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Col. 1:12)
So we have:
1. walk in a worthy manner.
2. Pleasing Him.
3. Bearing fruit
4. Increasing in knowledge.
5. Strengthened.
6. Enduring
7. Patience...with joy.
8. Giving thanks.
Having spiritual wisdom and revelation is not for ourselves, its not for the purpose to be able to have some deep insight or an ability to write books, commentaries and teach others. Those things are fine and good, but the sole purpose is for the Lord. To know Him, to walk in Him. It points to Christ...it is consumed with Christ. It is not for our purpose, but for His. It should cause us to decrease so that He would be increased in our lives. Spiritual wisdom is to point us to Christ, to humble us; to reveal His Son in us.
" that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, "
(Eph 1:17)
"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
(Col 1:9)"
I realized as I prayed this many times, I was missing the mark. I was praying with wrong motives...I was asking for the benefit for myself. It was slight and deceptive, I was confident that I was asking correctly...but in the end it was for selfish reasons.
But as I began to really look closely at the first few verses in Colossians, it changed for me.
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
(Col 1:9)
why was Paul praying with this in mind? Lets look at the following verses:
"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, in every bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. " (Col.1:10)
"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy," (Col 1:11)
"giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Col. 1:12)
So we have:
1. walk in a worthy manner.
2. Pleasing Him.
3. Bearing fruit
4. Increasing in knowledge.
5. Strengthened.
6. Enduring
7. Patience...with joy.
8. Giving thanks.
Having spiritual wisdom and revelation is not for ourselves, its not for the purpose to be able to have some deep insight or an ability to write books, commentaries and teach others. Those things are fine and good, but the sole purpose is for the Lord. To know Him, to walk in Him. It points to Christ...it is consumed with Christ. It is not for our purpose, but for His. It should cause us to decrease so that He would be increased in our lives. Spiritual wisdom is to point us to Christ, to humble us; to reveal His Son in us.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Proverbs 2
1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—
20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
16 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For her house leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19 None who go to her return,
Nor do they regain the paths of life—
20 So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21 For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.