Have you ever walked into a room, held your finger on the light switch and said, 'And God said', then as you flipped the switch, 'Let there be light'?
I have always heard that a person's last words are very important and that you can learn a lot about a person from these words. I have also heard that first impressions are lasting ones.
Consider this. God is an eternal being. He always was. He, the Son and the Spirit chose to make man in there own image; but before they did they forever settled in heaven the Word of God. (Psalm 119:89)
If you read through the Bible in its traditional lay out you will start in Genesis. Our first impression of our God is His first words, 'Let there be light'.
Light mostly represents truth in the Word of God:
God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
We are called the children of light.
Men love darkness rather than light because there deeds are evil.
Ye are the light of the world.
Let your light so shine before men.
The light of the body is the eye.
Everyone that does evil hates the light lest his deeds should be reproved.
Let us put on the armor of light.
The light of the glorious Gospel...
The light of the knowledge of the glory of God...
For whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Christ shall give thee light.
Christ said, 'I am the light of the world'.
In the New Jerusalem the Lamb is the light thereof.
The word light in Genesis 1:3 means (to be hot) and the word darkness means (twisted away).
In 1st John 1:5 the word light means (to shine or to make manifest by rays) and the word darkness means (dimness, obscurity, shadiness).
God wants to reenter the relationship he lost with us at the Garden of Eden; but in order to do that everything must be brought out into the open. God comes to us hiding nothing. He says, 'What you see is what you get'. We, on the other hand, try like Adam and Eve to hide from God what we really are. If we want a relationship with God we have to sit in the hot seat and have the rays of truth shine on us. This exposes our deeds and the thoughts and intents of our heart. There can be no shadiness or obscurity in our dealings with him.
God comes to us with the strong position of entering relationships with honesty and openness; and He expects the same from us.
When we try to hide things from God he says that we are in darkness. We are actually twisted away from the light. We are running from the truth; and that truth is what makes us free from the law of sin and death. Truth is the light we need to see our error so we may correct it and have restored fellowship with God.
Christ is the light of the world. His gospel is our light to find salvation. Truth, knowledge of God and God's Word are our lights to keep us from stumbling spiritually. Keeping ourselves in the scriptures is our armor of light to keep us from the works of darkness.
God wants us to live a life that need no shadows for hiding what we are. His reputation is wide open for inspection. In him is no shadow of turning. When you read God's Word you will find that God is brutally honest. Look at what he records about his favorite men; pretty tough stuff.
Question! Do we enter our conversations with truth? Are we honest with our spouse? Are there things in our lives that we need to hide from our children? Do we deceive our parents? Are our business dealings above board? Do we lie to our friends and coworkers? If honesty and openness is not the policy then we are destroying our relationships.
Let's reclaim these relationships. Let's walk in the light as He is in the light so that we can have fellowship one with another.
It was nice chatting with you,
John
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
What Are You Doing To Help Your Church or Assembly?
Do you attend services once in a while? If so, that's great! Most people don't go at all. But let me ask you this. When you do go do you feel like an integral part of what is happening at your church, assembly or place of worship? When the leaders of your particular ministry talk of all the good times and all the good things God is doing in 'this place' do you feel a bit left out?
Think with me about the people you enjoy and the places where you feel comfortable. More than likely it is the people you do things with or the places where you are involved to some degree. I bring this up because most people deep in their hearts have a yearning to be accepted by God and God's people. Most folks wish they could feel comfortable at religious services. How does a person come to feel like they are a part of a body of believers?
First, we have to get past the movie/media/TV version of the religious leader and believers in general.They imply that Sunday School, church, worship, attending assembly and devotion to God is for sissies, kids and women. Some of the toughest men I know Believe God
My former pastor was a paratrooper in WWII. My present pastor was a construction worker putting in twelve and sixteen hour days as a young man. My dad worked on a construction crew, joined the Navy, became a pipe fitter and welder and still passed on to me his faith. Faith is not for the weak at heart; it is for those who have the fortitude to face the hardships and blessings of life knowing that both were ordained by God.
Second, the book of James says that our faith without works is dead. Christ's work on the cross produced salvation for the world. If we invest our faith in Christ, we get salvation. If we do not put our faith to work, what do we produce? Nothing. When we put our faith to work we bring salvation to others and give them the same chance we had.
Look at these scriptures in Revelation.
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
These admonitions were written to seven churches in Asia many years ago. Christ was grading them and then instructing them so that they could continue as a church and not loose their opportunity to influence the world. None of these churches exist today. What did he notice about all of them? Their works. God is interested in what we are DOING in the assembly which we have chosen to call our own. This involvement affords us many things: Gratitude for those who labored for us, influence in the world for God, an extended family providing needed help in hard times, the knowledge that we belong, but most of all the right to exist.
Jesus Christ said:
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Christ is big on getting involved. The problem is that we think we have to do it alone. Yes, Christ is there to help us in the work but it is comforting to know that there are like minded people in your church or assembly that would love for you to be a part of what they are doing.
Don't be afraid. Jump in and get involved. You just might find a host of new friends that go along with the fulfillment of accomplishing a task for God.
It was nice chatting with you,
John
Think with me about the people you enjoy and the places where you feel comfortable. More than likely it is the people you do things with or the places where you are involved to some degree. I bring this up because most people deep in their hearts have a yearning to be accepted by God and God's people. Most folks wish they could feel comfortable at religious services. How does a person come to feel like they are a part of a body of believers?
First, we have to get past the movie/media/TV version of the religious leader and believers in general.They imply that Sunday School, church, worship, attending assembly and devotion to God is for sissies, kids and women. Some of the toughest men I know Believe God
My former pastor was a paratrooper in WWII. My present pastor was a construction worker putting in twelve and sixteen hour days as a young man. My dad worked on a construction crew, joined the Navy, became a pipe fitter and welder and still passed on to me his faith. Faith is not for the weak at heart; it is for those who have the fortitude to face the hardships and blessings of life knowing that both were ordained by God.
Second, the book of James says that our faith without works is dead. Christ's work on the cross produced salvation for the world. If we invest our faith in Christ, we get salvation. If we do not put our faith to work, what do we produce? Nothing. When we put our faith to work we bring salvation to others and give them the same chance we had.
Look at these scriptures in Revelation.
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
These admonitions were written to seven churches in Asia many years ago. Christ was grading them and then instructing them so that they could continue as a church and not loose their opportunity to influence the world. None of these churches exist today. What did he notice about all of them? Their works. God is interested in what we are DOING in the assembly which we have chosen to call our own. This involvement affords us many things: Gratitude for those who labored for us, influence in the world for God, an extended family providing needed help in hard times, the knowledge that we belong, but most of all the right to exist.
Jesus Christ said:
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Christ is big on getting involved. The problem is that we think we have to do it alone. Yes, Christ is there to help us in the work but it is comforting to know that there are like minded people in your church or assembly that would love for you to be a part of what they are doing.
Don't be afraid. Jump in and get involved. You just might find a host of new friends that go along with the fulfillment of accomplishing a task for God.
It was nice chatting with you,
John
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