Interview on End Times Talk Radio

6/25/11

Greetings,

                This week is going to be slightly different. As I was praying about what to share this week I didn’t get a message. I simply received the idea that instead of writing a letter I should send an audio file. The audio is from an interview I did. In this audio I talk about a lot of things including unity and the kingdom of God. I think that you will really enjoy it and I believe that God will use it to empower you in new ways. I have no doubt that at the very least you will find it incredibly interesting because we talk about a lot things that aren’t being preached. With that said I really hope that you’ll listen to the audio. God Bless you.

CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO: http://www.box.net/shared/267uo15s41lninz4xvlm

The Prayer of Jesus

6/18/11

Greetings,

It is my hope that the concept of unity is becoming firmly rooted your heart. There is no way around the issue. Unity is important and it is heavy on the heart of God. This week we are going to look at evidence that unity is heavy on the heart of God. This is revealed in a prayer of Jesus that is recorded in the book of John. We are going to spend this letter looking at some of the implications of this prayer.

                The setting is the last supper. Before Jesus goes into a long discourse on various topics, He sees to it that Judas Iscariot is not present. His disciple (John) asks Jesus who it is that will betray Him and Jesus responds that it will be the one to whom he hands the bread dipped in wine. At this comment He dips the bread in wine and gives it to Judas Iscariot. As it is written:

                “Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop [bread dipped in wine], when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly… He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.” (John 13:26-27, 30)

                With Judas gone Jesus began to explain many things to His disciples, particularly things that regard the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of what Jesus explained He gave two comments that are absolutely mind-blowing.

                “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10)

                “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:24)

                From these two very similar phrases we glean an important concept. Everything that Jesus says comes from the Father’s heart. There is nothing that Jesus said that came from the flesh. He was what could be called “perfectly prophetic.” Every word He spoke had its origin in heaven. His words were spirit and they were life.

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

Not only was every parable and teaching that Jesus spoke directly from the Father; every prayer Jesus prayed also revealed the heart of the Father. This is one of the main ways through which the Bible reveals the Father’s heart on the issue of unity. During this conversation at the last supper Jesus closes the discourse with an intercessory prayer. He prays about several topics. He definitely focuses on bringing glory to the Father. He also intercedes for those that were “given to Him” by the Father. However, notice how many direct references to the unity of the church are made during that prayer.

1.        “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11)

2.       “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)

3.       “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)

4.       “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22)

5.       “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:23)

During this prayer of intercession Jesus prays that the church would “be one” five times across four verses. There are a lot of things that Jesus could have prayed heavily upon, but one of His top agendas was to intercede for the unity of the church. He was revealing the Father’s heart in these prayers. The heart of the Father is the unity of His people. Jesus shares this burden, and it couldn’t be more obvious.

When it comes to the type of unity that Jesus was praying for, it wasn’t an “agree to disagree” type of unity. In the several references to the body of Christ being made “one” Jesus prays that it would be in the same way that He and the Father are one. In Christianity, we worship the triune God. The doctrine of the Christian trinity basically breaks down to the idea that our God is one God expressed in three separate persons. These persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a great mystery that is difficult to explain.

Some explain the trinity like H₂O. Although it can be in the form of water, ice, or vapor, it is the same molecule regardless of manifestation. I also like to use a Gelatin example. I can let gelatin set with pieces of fruit in it. When it is served I call it “dessert”. There is only one desert. However, the gelatin dessert has pieces of fruit in it that are not gelatin, yet no less part of the single dessert being separate from the gelatin but equally essential to the composition of the dessert. There is also the chain link example. I can have a single chain composed of three individual links. There is no chain apart from the links, and the links cannot be severed from the chain. It is one chain with three separate links.

In any case, Jesus compares the type of unity He wants within the body of Christ to a type of unity that is impossible to fully explain or understand. He wants us to be one in the same way He and the Father are one. Can you wrap your mind around that? In a world where there are over 1000 different denominations and groups all declaring themselves Christian, is it feasible to say that Jesus is actually to be taken seriously? Of course it is.

I am going to prophesy that this prayer will be answered. Will my prophesy fail? Don’t count on it. It doesn’t matter what we see among Christians today or experience in our own Christian walks. There will come a day when this prayer is answered, and this day will come before Jesus returns for His church in His second coming. The answer to this prayer will come hard and fast and will probably leave as many heads spinning in the kingdom of darkness as it will in the kingdom of light. However, it will not leave your head spinning because you know it is coming. Unity will not be stopped, God will honor the prayers of His Son, and we will be part of the answer.

Discussion

1.       Why do we know that Jesus communicated the Father’s heart

2.       Do you feel that you share the Father’s heart on the issue of unity? Why or why not?

3.       What does Jesus’ prayer for us to be one in the same way He and the Father are one mean to you?

4.       According to Jesus’ prayer, what other fruit will unity bring about?

5.       Is it okay to settle for “agreeing to disagree” in regard to long-term efforts to introduce unity into the body of Christ?

Bridling the Tongue

6/11/11

Greetings,

                A few weeks ago we were having dinner at my uncle-in-law’s house. Do you know what we had for dinner? Cow tongue! I am going to be very honest about this dish. It was delicious! Some of you reading this are inevitably grossed out. All I can say is that you don’t know what you’re missing. What does cow tongue have to do with unity in the body of Christ? The fact of the matter is that the tongue can be tender, satisfying, and properly seasoned or it can be improperly prepared, tough and downright nasty. Fortunately, Gloria’s uncle knows how to cook!

                Just like cow tongue, a similar comparison can be made with our tongue. We can use it to build up, or we can use it to tear down. We can use it to bless or we can use it to curse. Let’s consider what Job had to say about the issue:

                “My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.” (Job 27:4)

                Is this true of you? In the New Testament, James had some rather blunt perceptions regarding the tongue.

                “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.” (James 1:26)

                How many Christians are there that don’t bridle their tongue? I’m not talking about just around church either. I’m going to bring this home. What about your home? Let’s consider two couples.

                Bill and Bridget (fictional characters) are middle aged. They have been married for fifteen years. Bill is a very polite fellow, very proper and somewhat rigid. He was born and raised Christian. He is a deacon, a regular volunteer, and likes to make it known that he will refuse alcohol under every circumstance. He usually has very few problems except when it comes to one thing: his wife. She is loud, outgoing and sloppy. She is also confrontational. She never picks up her mess and doesn’t think the kids should either. Welcome to their Saturday morning conversation.

                Bill: #@%@! Why is there a mess in the middle of this floor!?

                Before we go any further in this conversation, let’s consider what’s going on. Bill has not controlled his tongue; he has just declared his religion vain. The fact that he is frustrated about something does not justify him. In other words, this comment is inexcusable according to the book of James. He has used his tongue to curse and according to the following verse, out of the same mouth should not come both blessings and curses.

                “Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.” (James 3:10)

                Well, we know that Bill has already blown it. Let’s see if Bridget does any better.

Bridget: I’m so sick of your mouth! I can leave stuff on the floor if I want; this is my house too! #$%*!

                Well, it looks like Bridget lost the battle as well. Her first two sentences were questionable, but the last one-liner toppled the house of cards. It’s no question that marriage can be frustrating, or for that matter any other relationship. However, under no circumstances do difficult situations warrant us to bring forth curses. It is inexcusable. Our mouth should be given over to one purpose, to pour forth blessings and the worship of our Father in heaven.

                Let’s consider the other couple. My wife and I met this couple in Tulsa and they had the most beautiful marriage we had ever seen. When we walked into their house, we could feel the atmosphere of love, peace, and acceptance. The husband cultivated this atmosphere with his words. He spoke blessings all the time. He blessed the Lord, he blessed his wife, and he blessed his children.  Having been recently married at that time, I was more than happy to allow him to teach me his approach to marriage. Now, I’m a very happy man in my marriage and I’m not afraid to talk about it. Why? I’ve blessed my marriage and not cursed it. I bless my wife and no matter how frustrated I may get, I refuse to curse her.

                In doing this I literally create the reality that is present in my home. The fact of the matter is, if I can create a reality of peace, joy, and blessing in my marriage, I can do it anywhere. God spoke the world into existence and then created us in His image. What kind of power do you think exists in our words? If we think words are futile, small and insignificant we are gravely mistaken. Our words contain very real creative power. This is why people who speak negatively and continually curse themselves and their families are inevitably miserable.

                Unity in the body of Christ must begin in our families. It should begin with our spouse. I know that this can’t always be the case and that some people are in very difficult situations. However, at the very least we can resolve to stop cursing those around us. We need to use our mouths to create the reality of unity and the culture of the kingdom of God. As it is written:

                “And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God's will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].” (James 3:18 AMP)

Discussion

1.       How often do you curse others?

2.       Do you proactively use your tongue to establish an atmosphere of unity and God’s kingdom?

3.       How do you express yourself when you get frustrated?

4.       Is God pleased by the way you speak at all times?

5.       How has your tongue impacted your family?

Patience (Siblings example)

6/4/11

Greetings,

                Growing up with siblings is both fun and challenging. For some, it’s more challenging than others. The topic of discussion this week is patience. Unity will require patience. As I was meditating on this, I had a revelation that siblings provide a great illustration of patience!

                I have two siblings. My brother was born when I was two, and my sister didn’t come around until I was fourteen. As you can imagine, one helped me to learn more patience than the other. My brother greatly assisted me with this fruit of the Holy Spirit. How? He repeatedly tested me.

                “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (Galatians 5:22)

                Before I begin with the illustrations, I want to make it clear that I love my brother very much. However, the antics that happened between us become a great illustration of what brothers and sisters in the body of Christ do with each other.

                One morning I sat down to a wonderful breakfast of waffles and milk. It was so delicious. I eat first and drink second because when I was young I was taught to do so. This stopped me from getting full on the drink and not eating my food. When I finished eating, I was joyful about enjoying a full cup of cold milk. It’s a perfect complement to rich, sweet syrup. Unfortunately my brother had put salt in it. Now, for those of you that don’t spend much time in the kitchen, salt and milk are the same color—white. This means that you can’t see when someone pours salt in your milk. I vulnerably swallowed.

                The Bible speaks about milk. It uses milk as a reference to foundational doctrines in the Word of God. Peter tells new believers that they should desire the milk of the Word so that they can begin to grow spiritually.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (1 Peter 2:2)

                Regarding foundational doctrines in the Bible, they are necessary, but are not meant to sustain Christians throughout their entire walk with Christ. Eventually we must graduate to meat according to Hebrews 5:12-14. For those that desire to get off of the milk, it can be challenging. Many times, even their leaders do not know how to move beyond milk. When these people find a way to go deeper into their faith it can cause them to look down on others that are still on the milk of the Word. It can cause them to feel a false superiority. As we move deeper into the faith, we must love and pray for those that aren’t ready to move deeper. The goal is to encourage and empower, not accuse and tear down with an air of arrogance and superiority. Don’t salt their milk.

                On another occasion we were in the car driving to the beach. At this time in my life I had several things simultaneously working against me. I needed glasses at an early age. Using my fashion sense, I made the most logical conclusion and picked big ones. I was also very skinny. I couldn’t gain weight no matter what. I hadn’t discovered hair gel yet, and so my hair was typically a giant poof. In addition, my front teeth grew in full-sized when I was still in second grade. I will honestly admit that sometimes they looked bigger than me. As we were driving to the beach with our cousins we were eating Nerds^© candy. My brother commented, “Hey Daniel, it’s a box of nerds. Jump in!”

                Unity is not going to be furthered by focusing on the blemishes of others. Here is what the Bible says:

                “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

                The reason why Jesus tells us to remove the plank in our own eye is to make us skillful in removing the speck in our brother’s eye. When the plank is out of our eye, our attempts at helping our brother are empowering! When the plank is in our proverbial eye we can’t see what we’re doing. We will inevitably offend and tear down. If your attempts at speaking truth to others (particularly your brothers and sisters in Christ) repeatedly results in offense and backlash, it may be time to check your own eye.

                When I was in high school my brother and I got in a fight. I roughed him up a little bit. It wasn’t anything personal; it was just that I was defining my boundaries (I know this is a poor excuse!). I don’t particularly remember the details, but I do remember that I hurt him. This happened shortly after I joined the wrestling team. As a result, my mom scolded me and told me that the next time I did something like this to my brother I would lose sports. This served as a turning point in my life. I decided that I would rather have sports than the freedom to give my brother the smack down. This cost me big time.

                Since my brother knew the stakes, his goal became to make me lose sports. Can you imagine? He invented ways to provoke me to anger. It was like a game for him. He knew that I wouldn’t be roughing him up anymore, and he cast off all restraints. Ultimately, this probably caused us to have a better relationship in the long run, but initially it forced me to develop patience.

                Patience is a virtue. Sometimes it seems like our brothers and sisters in Christ go out of their way to give us every reason to knock them upside the head. We must remember that they remain our family in Christ. Maintaining unity with them requires patience and forgiveness. This is what is written:

“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Discussion

1.       What does patience mean to you?

2.       What has tested your patience in the past week?

3.       Did you pass the test?

4.       When was the last time you prayed for patience?

5.       How often are we to forgive the offences that others cause us?

Applying Agape

5/28/11

Greetings,

                Last week we dove into the book of Ephesians and broke down the goals that God has for His people. These goals came from Ephesians 4:13. I informed you that we would be staying in the book of Ephesians and that is exactly what I intend to do. This week we are going to talk about some concepts that will be practical and workable for our lives. Let us begin with this passage:

                “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

                Love is hard. Why? It is because people give us every reason not to love them. They fail us. They disappoint us. They don’t listen to us, lose all their money, and then call us asking for a “loan” we know they won’t pay back. However, Jesus gives us two commandments that form the foundation of the new covenant.

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

So there you have it. If we can’t love others we break 50% of everything God told us to do. What a bummer right? Let’s be real about it though. What about that time when we really tried as hard as we could to love someone… to be there for them… to be patient. Then one year, two years, five years went by with no fruit. There must be a point where we give up right!

This is where wisdom comes in. We are not called to love others with our own love. Our own love is limited, and it will fail. In Ephesians 4:2 (which we read in the beginning) Paul exhorts us “forbear one another in love.” The word translated forbear literally means put up with. Go figure. How do we put up with others? With Agape! Agape is the Greek word that is translated as love. Now we are going to dive a bit deeper and understand this sometimes enigmatic “love” the Bible is always talking about.

The Apostle Paul explains to us that we do not naturally have agape. We live in a three-dimensional world. Everything natural to this world and our existence is based on three dimensions. When Paul explains agape he gives us a unique revelation. It has four dimensions! This means that it comes from another dimension because ours cannot naturally produce it. As it is written:

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)

                Isn’t it interesting that before Paul gets into the chapter declaring God’s goal and destination for the church (Ephesians 4) he explains to us where the love necessary to achieve this comes from (Ephesians 3)? Notice that agape has breadth, length, depth, and height. This is four dimensions. How does it get in us? It comes from heaven, flows through our spirit and comes into our heart.

                This passage says something very interesting. It says that Christ must dwell in our hearts by faith. This has been overlooked because for too long now the spirit and the heart have not been distinguished as separate aspects of our make-up. When we receive salvation (the born-again experience of receiving Jesus) it is a spiritual event. After this happens, it becomes possible for Christ to dwell in our hearts. The heart is our subconscious. The word dwell means to house permanently. This does not happen automatically in our heart, and like the Apostle tells us, this requires faith.

                Not many people have been taught how the invisible aspect of humans works. Without bringing in a boatload of scripture and deep study I’m just going to give you the basics. The human spirit that has received Jesus as Lord and Savior becomes like a pipe with one end in heaven. God puts what is in heaven into this pipe and it flows into the earth. At the other end of this pipe is the heart. The heart is the gateway between the spirit and the soul. It can only let what is coming from heaven through if the soul (mind, will, and emotions) is in agreement with these things. When Christ is dwelling in our heart by faith it becomes possible for the blessings (including agape) that are coming from heaven to have an impact on our lives. You have to believe that it is possible to love others that are seemingly unlovable before you actually do it.

                With this said, I have good news for you! By the grace of God you can do it! God’s grace is His empowerment in our lives to do what is impossible for us. Many of us have run into major problems when it comes to loving others. We frankly want to give up. We want to walk away. We want to lay down the law and cut them off. They deserve it right? However, the Bible says His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

                Unity requires us to put up with each other. Fortunately we are supposed to use God’s love, not our own to do it. This makes the impossible possible. Now I’m going to give you the atomic weapon—so to speak. This is the simple prayer that will empower you to do the impossible—love the jerks! When you read it, you may be confused at how simple it really is. That’s okay, God made it that way. Just keep in mind that it should be prayed regularly for some time. Now for all those people you know you need to love say the following:

                “Father, I thank you that I have access to your throne and your love. By grace I receive your love by faith. I receive your wisdom to apply this love to others in my life. I pray that I would be strengthened with might by your Spirit in my inner man so that Christ can dwell in my heart by faith, making the impossible possible. Thank you in advance for answering my prayer. I say this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Discussion

1.       What two commandments does Jesus give us?

2.       How does your own life stack up when compared to the standards of the new law Jesus gives us?

3.       Are there people in your life that you have written off as unlovable?

4.       Do you love others with your own love or with God’s love?

5.       How can you practically apply this letter to one relationship in your life?