In Scripture the word "land" means more than an area of ground that we build our houses on or that we walk on. "Land" in ancient Hebrew is "erets" which means earth, world, country, nation, field and wilderness etc. Broadly speaking, it means everything concerning a country or a nation - People, government, the business world, homes, schools, universities, religious institutions and local Churches etc.
This message concerns the need of healing of every area listed above. All calamities and disasters, except those from trials (James 1:2 - 3) are brought about by the sins of humanity. The judgment of God came upon Israel because of their turning away from their God and served other gods:
"You or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them" (1 Kings 9:6).
The Judgment of God upon Israel at the Time of Solomon
The Lord appeared to Solomon after the completion of the temple:
"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people ....." (2 Chronicles 7:13, NKJV).
The list of God's judgment includes - Withholding of rain, sending locust to devour the land and sending pestilence among the Israelites.
God's Promises for Israel and the Church
The next verse is God's remedy for these calamitites:
"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that God spoke to His Covenant people in the Old Testament - "My people who are called by My name". The above verse also applies to the Church, His New Covenant people, the Christians - All Christians are also called by His Name. Therefore, this promise applies to you and me as Christians. It is a Covenant promise to all God's people throughout all generations. Like all Covenants of God to His people this Covenant will neither fail nor go out of date.
The above verse says that God requires us to do four things. Then, if we do the four things He will do three things. If we do our part God promises to hear our prayer, to forgive our sin and to heal our land. Notice that God is not obliged to hear all our prayers in the sense of responding to them with His answers. God says if we meet His conditions then He will hear and respond to our prayer and forgive our sins. We need to understand that what stand between God and God's intervention in our land is not the sins of the unbelievers. Christians are largely accountable for the judgment of God upon our land. The third thing that God will do is to heal our land.
By just looking at the conditions of the land with all the problems and calamities we are now facing, surely we all agree that our land needs healing. All one needs to do is to read today's newspapers in any country he'll know what I mean.
There are problems in every area of humanity - Political, social, economical as well as problems related to religious beliefs. Religious beliefs and their sensitivities give rise to wars and rumors of wars. Then there are disasters everywhere, landslides, mudslides, mines disasters, planes and train crashes, earthquakes and hurricanes of immence magnitude. Then there are pestilence and strange diseases like the bird flu spreading quickly in many countries. Then there is the breakdown of human character. The movies industry glorifies and promotes homosexual activities, with directors and producers of such movies get the highest awards! What about the sins in the Christian Church? - "men of God" commit adultery and sexual sins; gay and lesbian "churches" pastored by gay and lesbian "pastors" are mushrooming; same sex marriage, rape, sodomy and abortion and divorce become a common life-style among "christians" in some countries. All these degrading activities are forbidden according to the Scripture (Romans 1:18 - 32 and many other passages).
God's Conditions for Healing of our Land
Let us study the four conditions listed in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
1. To humble ourselves
All through the Scripture whenever God talks about humility He places the responsibility upon us. Usually God does not make us humble except when we exalt ourselves (Matthew 23:12). We have to humble ourselves.
An angel of God spoke to Daniel, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words" (Daniel 10:12, emphasis added).
Daniel's prayer was heard because he humbled himself. The angel of God brought Daniel God's answer. This is the reason why "to humble ourselves" is God's first condition. Our prayer might not be heard unless we humble ourselves.
David combined fasting with prayer. Through fasting he humbled his soul and made his prayer more intense and more effective:
"I humbled myself with fasting; and my prayer would return to my own heart" (Psalm 35:13, emphasis added).
I believe the main reason why we need to humble our soul (or ourselves) is because of our ego - a part of our un-crucified Adamic nature. It is the self-exerting demanding part of the soul that always says I want, give me this, help me, bless me, and other things that we selfishly desired. It is the things in us that make us self-centered. This places a barrier between us and the Almighty God and we will not be able to maintain a right relationship with Him. Because of this our prayers are hindered. We need to humble our soul and bring it to subjection by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 9:27).
2. To Pray
The second thing that God requires us to do is to pray. Notice that this comes after we have put our pride and ego under subjection. Someone has said, "We can't feel proud when we are on our knees"!
We pray out of humility, out of a broken spirit, out of a humble dependence upon God, out of the acknowledgement that we need God desperately to help us. If He does not come to our help there is no other source of help that can meet our needs.
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). That is why to humble ourselves must come first before we cry out to God. God will not hear our prayer if we pray out of arrogance, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency - like the Pharisees!
Paul said, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks to be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1 - 4, emphasis added).
The first thing that we do when we come together (in a Church) to pray, is to pray for all men (believers and unbelievers), and for the government (all who are in authority). When we pray for a good government we are praying according to the will of God. If we know that what we are praying for is according to God's will, then we have the faith to claim it (1 John 5:14, 15). With a good government much of the crime, corruptive practices, evil and lawlessness in our country would be suppressed and healed.
3. To Seek His Face
The third thing that God requires us to do is to seek His face. To seek the Lord is much more than going to attend a prayer meeting for an hour or two. To seek the Lord's face is to seek Him diligently (Hebrews 11:6). Usually in a Church prayer meeting we seek things from God under the pretense of seeking God. When we are sick, we seek healing from God. When hard financial times hit, we seek money from God. When we are desperate we even bargain with God and say something like this, "Lord, if you'll help me in this situation I promise to attend every Church prayer meeting!" When our Church is in crisis and faces with serious problems we hold special prayer meetings to ask God to solve our problems not admitting that very often we are the problems in the Church!
The one who truly seeks God expects only one thing - God! He is looking for God and not just the things God may give him. The prayer of his life is, "God, I just want You!"
Thus said the Lord, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6).
Yes, the Lord is near, but before we can seek the Lord diligently, we need to break up the fallow ground of our hearts. We need to cleanse our hearts from "weeds" and "thorns" (from corruption, lust and all unrighteousness) so that the Lord can sow righteousness. God's righteousness can't be sown on hard grounds. We need to have a broken and contrite spirit.
"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up you fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you" (Hosea 10:12, emphasis added).
One of the ways we can do to break up the fallow ground is by fasting. We seek the Lord until He comes - until there is a definite and a specific response from God. Until He visits us, we see His arms stretch forth and we see definite evidence that God is moving to answer our prayer!
4. To turn from our wicked ways
The forth thing that God requires us to do is to turn from our wicked ways. Some of us might think that we have no wicked ways; we lead a blameless life and we go to Church regularly and give our offerings to God like all good Christians do. We love our Church and obey our elders, pastors and leaders and never cause any trouble. We never rock "the boat"!
In my mind there are at least three possible forms of wickedness - sin of omission, un-forgiveness and unproductiveness.
1. The sin of omission is the sin of failing to do the right thing when it is within our knowledge and means to do so.
"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
2. Another form of wickedness is un-forgiveness. The parable of the unforgiving servant is a good example of a servant who would not forgive his fellow servant (Matt. 18:23 - 35). A servant owed his master a large sum of money. But this servant was unable to pay his debt. So, the master had compassion and forgave him his debt. However, this servant would not forgive his fellow servant who also owed him some money. Then the master said to this unforgiving servant:
"You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you" (Matt. 18:32, 33, emphasis added)?
3. In God's sight an unproductive and lazy person is also a wicked person. In the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14 - 30) a man said to the servant who had received one talent:
"You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I had not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest" (Matt. 25:26, 27, emphasis added).
I might add that we can do all the "right" things in Christ and if we are too lazy to pray and fail to "deposit" our prayer on a regular basis, we are considered wicked!
Conclusion
In my opinion, all Christians should take God's challenge to do all the four things demanded by God - to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His face and to turn from our wicked ways. We must take God at His Word by faith. It is interesting to see if God would hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land or not - even in these end-time hours.
I believe He would - because of His promises:
"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good" (Numbers 23:19)?
"Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:11).
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Salted with Salt and Salted with Fire
Believers are called to be the salt of the earth. But, in order to be the salt of the earth the believer has to be salted with salt and salted with fire.
Jesus is speaking to Christians (believers) just as He had spoken to His disciples (also believers) when He preached to them the Sermon on the Mount:
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus compares our function on the earth to that of salt. First of all, salt gives flavor. Food which by itself alone is unappetizing becomes tasty and acceptable when seasoned with salt. As Christians, our function is to give flavor to the earth. The One who enjoys this flavor is God! Our presence makes the earth acceptable to God. The earth is not acceptable to God because the "god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4) has dominion in this world since Adam's fall. Our presence commends the earth to God's mercy. Without us, there would be nothing to make the earth acceptable to God. But because we are here, God continues to deal with the earth in grace and mercy rather than in wrath and judgment. It is our presence that makes the difference.
Suppose we as Christians, fail to fulfill our responsibility as the salt of the earth, then we are like what Jesus said, "Good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matt. 5:13).
In my opinion, what Jesus said, "Good for nothing" and "Being thrown out (rejected by God)" to Christians constitutes the most severe condemnation! Futhermore, we shall be trampled underfoot by men! Men become the instruments of God's judgment upon the saltless, apostate Church. If we as the Church fail to fold back the forces of evil and wickedness, our judgment is to be handed over to those very forces that cause men to trample the Christians!
Important Functions of Salt
1. Salt gives flavor
As described above salt literally adds taste and flavor to food that of itself is unsavory, making it more palatable.
2. Salt preserves and restrains the Process of Corruption
The second function of salt in relation to food is to restrain the process of corruption. In the days before artificial refrigeration, sailors who took meat on long voyages used salt as a preservative. The process of corruption was already at work before the meat was salted. Salting did not abolish the corruption, but it held it in check for the duration of the voyage, so that the sailors could continue to eat the meat long after it would otherwise have become inedible.
Figuratively speaking, the true Christians' presence on the earth as Christ's ambassadors operates like the salt in the meat. The process of corruption due to sin is already at work. This is manifested in every area of human activity - moral, religious, social, economical and political. We cannot abolish the corruption which is already there, but we can hold it in check long enough for God's purposes of grace and mercy to be fully worked out. Then, when our influence is no longer felt, corruption will come to its climax, and the result will be total degradation. When the true Christians lose their saltiness or when they are no longer here on earth - when Jesus comes for His bride (1 Thess. 4:14 - 17), then the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness or the man of sin, will make his appearance!
The Salting Process
Jesus spoke to His disciples, "For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt" (Mark 9:49, KJV, emphasis added).
Notice that "everyone" refers to both the genuine believer and Jesus' foe. "Every sacrifice" refers to the genuine believer only.
Let us study this verse one part at a time.
1. "Everyone shall be salted with fire"
We have to look into the context of Mark 9:49. Jesus was speaking to His disciples who believed Him. He was warning them about offences - To stumble those who believe in Him, and to sin with one's hand, foot or eye. Christ's message is that unless we submit ourselves to the purging process by fire (salted with fire) in this life we will have to suffer the unquenchable fire of hell one day - where "Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, 46 or 48 repeated three times)!
This is a solemn warning to genuine Christians and backslidden Christians. The reason why it is better for us to cut off offending members of the body is that, the work of everyone shall be tried (seasoned or salted) with fire.
Notice that Jesus was using a figurative method of teaching. He was using the hyperbole. The purpose of the hyperbole is to create an impact on those who are reading or listening. Hyperbole is an exaggeration. Jesus was using the hyperbolic style to bring home the point on how we should regard offenses, and offending characteristics in our lives.
There are two types of fire:
To the genuine Christians the purging fire is "The Refiner's fire" (Mal 3:3) and "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matt 3:11). To the backslidden or sinning Christians God is "A consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).
"Consuming Fire"
"The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning" (Isaiah 33:14, NIV, emphasis added)?
In Old Testament Scripture "Zion" speaks of the Church. Isaiah was speaking about the impending Judgment of the "sinners", "godless", "backsliders" and "hypocrites" in the Church.
God desires purity only fire can bring. Therefore, even for the ungodly, who nevertheless shall be imperishable in their doom (salt symbolizes preservation from decay), but purging out only the dross from His people.
"Each one's work will become clear; it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:13 - 15, NKJV, eimphasis added).
Notice that Paul was talking about the judgment of Christians for rewards. Fire is an agent for judgment of the Christian's work.
"Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"
The phrase "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" appears in both the Gospel according to Matthew (Matt. 3:11) and Luke (Luke 3:16).
John foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2):
"When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:1 - 3, emphasis added).
The fire speaks of the refining fire to consume the "dross" in the believers to kindle their hearts with divine fire and impart to them with divine love and zeal to serve God. It also gives them power to bear witness to the unbelieving world (Acts 1:8).
It is not Biblical to think of two separate baptisms. A renowned Bible teacher has said, "the baptism with the Holy Spirit is for the Church Age and the baptism with fire is for the Kingdom Age". This teaching is not supported by Scripture.
The Scripture reveals that many other divine manifestations were associated with fire. Here are two examples:
1. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush (Exodus 3:2).
2. The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in fire (Exodus 19:20).
The appearance of fire is an indication of God's presence. Therefore we can paraphrase "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire" as "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with divine presence of God".
2. "Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt"
The righteous (genuine Christians) can withstand the fire, for it is part of their present salting as "a living sacrifice" for the serving God (ministry).
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1, emphasis added).
Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt; therefore every Christian, being a living sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt prepares a Christian for ministry. A salted ministry is God's desire! An unsalted ministry will not bear fruit.
Jesus said, "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in youselves, and have peace with one another" (Mark 9:50, emphasis added).
Just as food without salt is not acceptable to man, a "living sacrifice" (Christian) without salt shall not be acceptable to God. When we are salted we have peace with one another. For example, our prayers offered without "peace" of heart on behalf of our fellow men are savorless (saltless) to God if we are without salt in ourselves!
Paul said, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col. 4:5, 6, emphasis added).
In other words, when we share the Gospel to unbelievers (those who are outside) we must walk in wisdom and we must "be salted" so that our speech will be salted with salt and with grace to our hearers.
"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Eph. 4:29. emphasis added).
I believe a salted life is the only basis for Christian ministry.
The Covenant of Salt
The Covenant of Salt is an expression of an everlasting Covenant. Salt with its preservative nature speaks of the binding agreement between two parties. The close connection between salt and covenant-making may be seen when people in the Arab world shared a sacrficial meal (salt was always present) together to seal their friendship and agreement on some important issues.
A covenant of Salt is simply an everlasting covenant whose efficacy will always remain. Covenants made between men, in general, are fragile, delicate and vulnerable. They can be violated and broken. But when God makes a covenant with men, because He is the Lord and He never changes, His covenant is called a "Covenant of Salt".
God's people's offerings to God are given under the "Covenant of Salt":
"All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you" (Numbers 18:19, emphasis added).
David received his kingdom forever from the Lord by a Covenant of Salt:
"Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt" (2 Chron. 13:5, emphasis added)?
Under the New Covenant of Salt believers are the children of God in His Kingdom forever!
"But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name" (John 1:12, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus is speaking to Christians (believers) just as He had spoken to His disciples (also believers) when He preached to them the Sermon on the Mount:
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus compares our function on the earth to that of salt. First of all, salt gives flavor. Food which by itself alone is unappetizing becomes tasty and acceptable when seasoned with salt. As Christians, our function is to give flavor to the earth. The One who enjoys this flavor is God! Our presence makes the earth acceptable to God. The earth is not acceptable to God because the "god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4) has dominion in this world since Adam's fall. Our presence commends the earth to God's mercy. Without us, there would be nothing to make the earth acceptable to God. But because we are here, God continues to deal with the earth in grace and mercy rather than in wrath and judgment. It is our presence that makes the difference.
Suppose we as Christians, fail to fulfill our responsibility as the salt of the earth, then we are like what Jesus said, "Good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matt. 5:13).
In my opinion, what Jesus said, "Good for nothing" and "Being thrown out (rejected by God)" to Christians constitutes the most severe condemnation! Futhermore, we shall be trampled underfoot by men! Men become the instruments of God's judgment upon the saltless, apostate Church. If we as the Church fail to fold back the forces of evil and wickedness, our judgment is to be handed over to those very forces that cause men to trample the Christians!
Important Functions of Salt
1. Salt gives flavor
As described above salt literally adds taste and flavor to food that of itself is unsavory, making it more palatable.
2. Salt preserves and restrains the Process of Corruption
The second function of salt in relation to food is to restrain the process of corruption. In the days before artificial refrigeration, sailors who took meat on long voyages used salt as a preservative. The process of corruption was already at work before the meat was salted. Salting did not abolish the corruption, but it held it in check for the duration of the voyage, so that the sailors could continue to eat the meat long after it would otherwise have become inedible.
Figuratively speaking, the true Christians' presence on the earth as Christ's ambassadors operates like the salt in the meat. The process of corruption due to sin is already at work. This is manifested in every area of human activity - moral, religious, social, economical and political. We cannot abolish the corruption which is already there, but we can hold it in check long enough for God's purposes of grace and mercy to be fully worked out. Then, when our influence is no longer felt, corruption will come to its climax, and the result will be total degradation. When the true Christians lose their saltiness or when they are no longer here on earth - when Jesus comes for His bride (1 Thess. 4:14 - 17), then the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness or the man of sin, will make his appearance!
The Salting Process
Jesus spoke to His disciples, "For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt" (Mark 9:49, KJV, emphasis added).
Notice that "everyone" refers to both the genuine believer and Jesus' foe. "Every sacrifice" refers to the genuine believer only.
Let us study this verse one part at a time.
1. "Everyone shall be salted with fire"
We have to look into the context of Mark 9:49. Jesus was speaking to His disciples who believed Him. He was warning them about offences - To stumble those who believe in Him, and to sin with one's hand, foot or eye. Christ's message is that unless we submit ourselves to the purging process by fire (salted with fire) in this life we will have to suffer the unquenchable fire of hell one day - where "Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44, 46 or 48 repeated three times)!
This is a solemn warning to genuine Christians and backslidden Christians. The reason why it is better for us to cut off offending members of the body is that, the work of everyone shall be tried (seasoned or salted) with fire.
Notice that Jesus was using a figurative method of teaching. He was using the hyperbole. The purpose of the hyperbole is to create an impact on those who are reading or listening. Hyperbole is an exaggeration. Jesus was using the hyperbolic style to bring home the point on how we should regard offenses, and offending characteristics in our lives.
There are two types of fire:
To the genuine Christians the purging fire is "The Refiner's fire" (Mal 3:3) and "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matt 3:11). To the backslidden or sinning Christians God is "A consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).
"Consuming Fire"
"The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning" (Isaiah 33:14, NIV, emphasis added)?
In Old Testament Scripture "Zion" speaks of the Church. Isaiah was speaking about the impending Judgment of the "sinners", "godless", "backsliders" and "hypocrites" in the Church.
God desires purity only fire can bring. Therefore, even for the ungodly, who nevertheless shall be imperishable in their doom (salt symbolizes preservation from decay), but purging out only the dross from His people.
"Each one's work will become clear; it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:13 - 15, NKJV, eimphasis added).
Notice that Paul was talking about the judgment of Christians for rewards. Fire is an agent for judgment of the Christian's work.
"Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"
The phrase "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" appears in both the Gospel according to Matthew (Matt. 3:11) and Luke (Luke 3:16).
John foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2):
"When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:1 - 3, emphasis added).
The fire speaks of the refining fire to consume the "dross" in the believers to kindle their hearts with divine fire and impart to them with divine love and zeal to serve God. It also gives them power to bear witness to the unbelieving world (Acts 1:8).
It is not Biblical to think of two separate baptisms. A renowned Bible teacher has said, "the baptism with the Holy Spirit is for the Church Age and the baptism with fire is for the Kingdom Age". This teaching is not supported by Scripture.
The Scripture reveals that many other divine manifestations were associated with fire. Here are two examples:
1. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush (Exodus 3:2).
2. The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in fire (Exodus 19:20).
The appearance of fire is an indication of God's presence. Therefore we can paraphrase "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire" as "Baptism with the Holy Spirit and with divine presence of God".
2. "Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt"
The righteous (genuine Christians) can withstand the fire, for it is part of their present salting as "a living sacrifice" for the serving God (ministry).
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1, emphasis added).
Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt; therefore every Christian, being a living sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt prepares a Christian for ministry. A salted ministry is God's desire! An unsalted ministry will not bear fruit.
Jesus said, "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in youselves, and have peace with one another" (Mark 9:50, emphasis added).
Just as food without salt is not acceptable to man, a "living sacrifice" (Christian) without salt shall not be acceptable to God. When we are salted we have peace with one another. For example, our prayers offered without "peace" of heart on behalf of our fellow men are savorless (saltless) to God if we are without salt in ourselves!
Paul said, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col. 4:5, 6, emphasis added).
In other words, when we share the Gospel to unbelievers (those who are outside) we must walk in wisdom and we must "be salted" so that our speech will be salted with salt and with grace to our hearers.
"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Eph. 4:29. emphasis added).
I believe a salted life is the only basis for Christian ministry.
The Covenant of Salt
The Covenant of Salt is an expression of an everlasting Covenant. Salt with its preservative nature speaks of the binding agreement between two parties. The close connection between salt and covenant-making may be seen when people in the Arab world shared a sacrficial meal (salt was always present) together to seal their friendship and agreement on some important issues.
A covenant of Salt is simply an everlasting covenant whose efficacy will always remain. Covenants made between men, in general, are fragile, delicate and vulnerable. They can be violated and broken. But when God makes a covenant with men, because He is the Lord and He never changes, His covenant is called a "Covenant of Salt".
God's people's offerings to God are given under the "Covenant of Salt":
"All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you" (Numbers 18:19, emphasis added).
David received his kingdom forever from the Lord by a Covenant of Salt:
"Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt" (2 Chron. 13:5, emphasis added)?
Under the New Covenant of Salt believers are the children of God in His Kingdom forever!
"But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name" (John 1:12, NKJV, emphasis added).
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
The New Wine
My message last week was about wilderness in the Christian Walk. This message is about the on-going changes in our walk with Him when we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Please read last week's message first.
As we walk in obedience to Him we'll soon discover that wilderness is also where God is about to bring forth a fresh move of His Spirit. All through Scripture, the new wine speaks of God's presence in the life of His people. New wine and oil speak of the new anointing and the fresh move of God's Spirit.
The Lord said to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations" (Joel 2:19, NKJV, emphasis added).
God uses the new wine and oil to bring about changes in the life of His people. They will be satisfied with the presence of Lord and the new move of the Holy Spirit. Unless His people will not resist changes and willing to flow will His Spirit they will remain in the wilderness and miss what God has provided for them.
The Lord said, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:18, 19, emphasis addeed).
Notice that "wilderness" speaks of dryness or darkness and "rivers" speaks of the "the rivers of Living Water" which is the Holy Spirit. God admonished His people not to cling on to the old things (old wine) but to move on and enjoy the new wine.
Paul said, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18, emphasis added).
In order to know Him and be obedient to Him we must change or be transformed "from glory to glory" to the image of Him in our walk with Him. Divine changes bring us closer to Him.
Religious spirit resists change
Human, by nature resists change because it affects our comfort level. Once our life patterns are established it becomes very uncomfortable to move outside this set life-style. This happens more apparent in the area of religion. Religious strongholds and traditions are formed early in a Christian's Church life. Some traditons are good, but when a believer responds merely from his emotion (part of his soul) and not from his regenerated spirit, then he is going through lifeless motion. He must let his spirit yield to the Spirit of God without the hindrance of his emotion and feelings. A believer who has a religious spirit is one who has an outward form of godliness (2 Tim. 3:5), holding fast to what God had done before, while resisting what God is doing presently.
The Pharisees and Scribes
In Jesus' time, the people who resisted change were the Pharisees, Scribes and other religious leaders. They boasted that they were Abraham's Children and sons of the covenant. They claimed to be disciples of Moses; holding fast to what God did according to their understanding of the Old Testament Scripture, but resisted Jesus, the Son of God standing in their midst. They were zealous for their traditions and manner of worship. They would reject anything that was not done according their way.
However, when Jesus came He challenged every area of their comfort, complacency and stability. He made it clear to them that they could not put God in their box, and instead they have to fit in His. They resisted this change and clung to their traditions.
Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees" and called them hypocrites, eight time in Matthew and six times in Luke.
Their religious spirit resulted in prejudice and, eventually, hatred and betrayal if it is not checked. This was exactly what happened in Jesus' time and has happened throughout Church History and is happening now.
Wilderness before great Ministry
God leads a person to the wilderness to prepare him for ministry. This truth is seen in the life and ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the Son of God and other great men of God.
John the Baptist
All that we know of the period between the time he was named "John" by his father and the beginning of his ministry is contain in a single verse of Scripture:
"So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel" (Luke 1:80, NKJV).
It was in the wilderness (deserts) that God prepared John and subsequently called him; not in any accepted "Bible school" of his day where the scribes and Pharisees went. God knew religious school would not help anyone chosen to prepare the way for the Lord!
"The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the regions around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Luke 3:2, 3, emphasis added).
All the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to John to hear the word of the Lord. A new move of the Spirit was beginning to blow, across the wilderness, and not in the religious places. Those who were fed up with the religious hypocrisy and traditions went out to John, with hearts willing to change in preparation for the appearing of God's Son.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Before Jesus began His public Ministry He sought baptism at the hand of John the Baptist in river Jordan. Even though John protested this, Jesus said He must identify Himself with those whom He came to redeem (Matt. 3:15).
It was necessary for Jesus' ministry to come forth with the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit:
"It also came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him ...." (Luke 3:21, 22).
Jesus was then filled with the Spirit and was immediately led into the wilderness. The Scripture is very clear that when Jesus was led into the wilderness, He was filled with the Spirit, but after the forty days of testing and temptation, He returned from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit to start His Ministry.
Abraham in the wilderness
Between the first time God made a Covenant with Abraham, and the time the promised son, Isaac was born, Abraham was in the wilderness for about 25 years.
Moses in the wilderness
Moses was forty years old when he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He went into exile for 40 years in the land of Midian in the desert (wilderness) between Egypt and Canaan before God appeared and called him from within the burning bush.
New Wine in new Wineskins
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and said to Him:
"Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayer, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink" (Luke 5:33)?
The men were fasting because John was in prison. Their fasting and prayers were outward signs of mourning because their master had been taken away from them. They had not made the transition or change from the ministry of John to the ministry of Jesus. They failed to move on from the old to the new - what the Spirit of God was doing. Religious spirits caused them to hold on to the old methods of worship and ministry. They resisted the change brought about by Jesus even though John, their leader declared:
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
Jesus said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them then they will fast in those days" (Luke 5:34, 35).
Notice that Jesus' Words were prophetic. Jesus is the Bridegroom of His bride, the true Church of Jesus Christ. His disciples during His time were not the Bride but the friends of the Bridegroom. Fasting from food, which brings a believer into a position to hear easily what God (or Jesus) is saying, and prayers, were obviously not needed while Jesus was with His disciples. They could ask Jesus face to face for their needs. But, when Jesus was taken away from them, they would need to fast and ask the Father in Jesus' Name (John 14:13, 14).
Then Jesus spoke a parabel to John's and the Pharisees' disciples:
".... And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must put into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Luke 5:36 - 38).
Jesus was saying you cannot put new wine, which is a fresh move of God's spirit, into old wineskins (old vessels).
In Jesus' time wine vessels were made of sheepskin. When the wine was put into the wineskins the skins were flexible and pliable. They stretched easily and would yield without resistance. But, if the old wine was pured out, the old wineskins quickly became dry and it would not be able to take in new wine because the old wineskins had become brittle and hard. And due to the fermentation process of the new wine it would burst the old wineskins. Therefore new wine requires new wineskins.
This parable speaks of the new teaching of Christ, the Gospel of the Kingdom which could not be contained within the forms of the Law, but must be expressed in a new way. A flesh revelation had come in Christ, which demanded a different form of worship.
This is symbolic to the Christian walk. We must be willing to change with the flesh move of the Holy Spirit from time to time. Christians must be sensitive and flow with the new anointing and new move of the Holy Spirit. Christians who become rigid and inflexible are people who stop seeking God. They are the old wineskins with rigid methods of ministry, worship, prayers and doctrine etc. They are set in the formula that they themselves have devised from previous experiences. They stay in the wilderness and miss experiencing the the New Wine!
The Lord is in the last stage of preparing His Bride. He is pouring out the old wine and replacing it with the new wine. He expects us to be the new wineskins prepared for the new wine. Otherwise, we shall remain as friends of the Bridegroom and miss being the Bride!
True Christians need the New Wine as they journey from the Church age to the Kingdom age!
As we walk in obedience to Him we'll soon discover that wilderness is also where God is about to bring forth a fresh move of His Spirit. All through Scripture, the new wine speaks of God's presence in the life of His people. New wine and oil speak of the new anointing and the fresh move of God's Spirit.
The Lord said to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations" (Joel 2:19, NKJV, emphasis added).
God uses the new wine and oil to bring about changes in the life of His people. They will be satisfied with the presence of Lord and the new move of the Holy Spirit. Unless His people will not resist changes and willing to flow will His Spirit they will remain in the wilderness and miss what God has provided for them.
The Lord said, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:18, 19, emphasis addeed).
Notice that "wilderness" speaks of dryness or darkness and "rivers" speaks of the "the rivers of Living Water" which is the Holy Spirit. God admonished His people not to cling on to the old things (old wine) but to move on and enjoy the new wine.
Paul said, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18, emphasis added).
In order to know Him and be obedient to Him we must change or be transformed "from glory to glory" to the image of Him in our walk with Him. Divine changes bring us closer to Him.
Religious spirit resists change
Human, by nature resists change because it affects our comfort level. Once our life patterns are established it becomes very uncomfortable to move outside this set life-style. This happens more apparent in the area of religion. Religious strongholds and traditions are formed early in a Christian's Church life. Some traditons are good, but when a believer responds merely from his emotion (part of his soul) and not from his regenerated spirit, then he is going through lifeless motion. He must let his spirit yield to the Spirit of God without the hindrance of his emotion and feelings. A believer who has a religious spirit is one who has an outward form of godliness (2 Tim. 3:5), holding fast to what God had done before, while resisting what God is doing presently.
The Pharisees and Scribes
In Jesus' time, the people who resisted change were the Pharisees, Scribes and other religious leaders. They boasted that they were Abraham's Children and sons of the covenant. They claimed to be disciples of Moses; holding fast to what God did according to their understanding of the Old Testament Scripture, but resisted Jesus, the Son of God standing in their midst. They were zealous for their traditions and manner of worship. They would reject anything that was not done according their way.
However, when Jesus came He challenged every area of their comfort, complacency and stability. He made it clear to them that they could not put God in their box, and instead they have to fit in His. They resisted this change and clung to their traditions.
Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees" and called them hypocrites, eight time in Matthew and six times in Luke.
Their religious spirit resulted in prejudice and, eventually, hatred and betrayal if it is not checked. This was exactly what happened in Jesus' time and has happened throughout Church History and is happening now.
Wilderness before great Ministry
God leads a person to the wilderness to prepare him for ministry. This truth is seen in the life and ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the Son of God and other great men of God.
John the Baptist
All that we know of the period between the time he was named "John" by his father and the beginning of his ministry is contain in a single verse of Scripture:
"So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel" (Luke 1:80, NKJV).
It was in the wilderness (deserts) that God prepared John and subsequently called him; not in any accepted "Bible school" of his day where the scribes and Pharisees went. God knew religious school would not help anyone chosen to prepare the way for the Lord!
"The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the regions around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Luke 3:2, 3, emphasis added).
All the land of Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to John to hear the word of the Lord. A new move of the Spirit was beginning to blow, across the wilderness, and not in the religious places. Those who were fed up with the religious hypocrisy and traditions went out to John, with hearts willing to change in preparation for the appearing of God's Son.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Before Jesus began His public Ministry He sought baptism at the hand of John the Baptist in river Jordan. Even though John protested this, Jesus said He must identify Himself with those whom He came to redeem (Matt. 3:15).
It was necessary for Jesus' ministry to come forth with the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit:
"It also came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him ...." (Luke 3:21, 22).
Jesus was then filled with the Spirit and was immediately led into the wilderness. The Scripture is very clear that when Jesus was led into the wilderness, He was filled with the Spirit, but after the forty days of testing and temptation, He returned from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit to start His Ministry.
Abraham in the wilderness
Between the first time God made a Covenant with Abraham, and the time the promised son, Isaac was born, Abraham was in the wilderness for about 25 years.
Moses in the wilderness
Moses was forty years old when he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He went into exile for 40 years in the land of Midian in the desert (wilderness) between Egypt and Canaan before God appeared and called him from within the burning bush.
New Wine in new Wineskins
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and said to Him:
"Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayer, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink" (Luke 5:33)?
The men were fasting because John was in prison. Their fasting and prayers were outward signs of mourning because their master had been taken away from them. They had not made the transition or change from the ministry of John to the ministry of Jesus. They failed to move on from the old to the new - what the Spirit of God was doing. Religious spirits caused them to hold on to the old methods of worship and ministry. They resisted the change brought about by Jesus even though John, their leader declared:
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
Jesus said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them then they will fast in those days" (Luke 5:34, 35).
Notice that Jesus' Words were prophetic. Jesus is the Bridegroom of His bride, the true Church of Jesus Christ. His disciples during His time were not the Bride but the friends of the Bridegroom. Fasting from food, which brings a believer into a position to hear easily what God (or Jesus) is saying, and prayers, were obviously not needed while Jesus was with His disciples. They could ask Jesus face to face for their needs. But, when Jesus was taken away from them, they would need to fast and ask the Father in Jesus' Name (John 14:13, 14).
Then Jesus spoke a parabel to John's and the Pharisees' disciples:
".... And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must put into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Luke 5:36 - 38).
Jesus was saying you cannot put new wine, which is a fresh move of God's spirit, into old wineskins (old vessels).
In Jesus' time wine vessels were made of sheepskin. When the wine was put into the wineskins the skins were flexible and pliable. They stretched easily and would yield without resistance. But, if the old wine was pured out, the old wineskins quickly became dry and it would not be able to take in new wine because the old wineskins had become brittle and hard. And due to the fermentation process of the new wine it would burst the old wineskins. Therefore new wine requires new wineskins.
This parable speaks of the new teaching of Christ, the Gospel of the Kingdom which could not be contained within the forms of the Law, but must be expressed in a new way. A flesh revelation had come in Christ, which demanded a different form of worship.
This is symbolic to the Christian walk. We must be willing to change with the flesh move of the Holy Spirit from time to time. Christians must be sensitive and flow with the new anointing and new move of the Holy Spirit. Christians who become rigid and inflexible are people who stop seeking God. They are the old wineskins with rigid methods of ministry, worship, prayers and doctrine etc. They are set in the formula that they themselves have devised from previous experiences. They stay in the wilderness and miss experiencing the the New Wine!
The Lord is in the last stage of preparing His Bride. He is pouring out the old wine and replacing it with the new wine. He expects us to be the new wineskins prepared for the new wine. Otherwise, we shall remain as friends of the Bridegroom and miss being the Bride!
True Christians need the New Wine as they journey from the Church age to the Kingdom age!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Wilderness in the Christian's Spiritual Journey
When a Christian runs away from the Lord we say he backslides. But when the Lord "runs" away from a Christian we say he is in the "wilderness" experience. A backslider says, "I don't need you Lord". But a Christian in the wilderness cries out to the Lord, "Lord, where are You". Backsliding is undesirable but wilderness is unavoidable.
God's Purpose for the Wilderness
God would not do anything without a purpose, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It is good for us to study the Scripture to find out the purposes of God. God, being the Lord of all things, is in control of everything that happens to his people and around His people. There are reasons why He allows His people to experience wilderness, darkness, dryness and dullness in their walk with Him.
Israel in the Wilderness
According to Paul, Christians can learn from the things happened Israel in their wilderness experiences recorded in the writing of Moses:
"These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, ...." (1 Cor. 10:11, NKJV).
Israel's ignorance of God's nature and character caused them to act wickedly, and what was to have been a brief wilderness journey became a lifetime experience. Wilderness was a time of testing for Israel.
God spoke to Israel through Moses:
"And you shall remember the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not" (Deu. 8:2).
The purpose of the testing was to humble Israel and to find out whether they were obedient to the Lord or not.
In the time of testing the Lord caused Israel to hunger for the good things of Egypt - meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic and onions (Numbers 11:4 - 6). He did not give them the things their flesh wanted. He only gave them what their flesh needed (Deu. 8:3).
The Lord said further that by this testing Israel would know in their heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord their God chastened them (Deu. 8:5).
Israel remembered what they had left behind in Egypt (speaks of the world sytem). Their condition in Egypt, even with its bondage, appeared to be preferable to the wilderness into which God had led them.
Israel began to murmur and cried out to the Lord for meat. The result was:
"And He (God) gave them their request, so they ate (meat - quail) and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving; but (He) sent leanness into their soul" (Psalms 106:15; 78:29, 30, NKJV, emphasis added).
Israel paid a high price for what they wanted. With the meat came "leanness of soul". This leanness made them unfit to endure, unable to pass God's test, and ultimately, they never entered His promised land. The sin was not in the crying out for meat, but what that request represented - the desire for the former things, things the world system provided.
The Church in the Wilderness
All true Christians go through a period of wilderness experience in at least one stage of their Spiritual Journey. Christians are now living in the last of the last days. God wants His people to understand the times and seasons so that we are prepared to depend on Him for His harvest.
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: ..."(Eccl. 3:1).
Jesus rebuked the multitudes for failing to discern the time, "Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time" (Luke 12:56)?
Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament foretold the advent (first coming) of Jesus the Lord who is like a Refiner's Fire (Malachi 3:2).
"He (the Lord) will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness" (Malachi 3:3, emphasis added).
Notice that the "sons of Levi" foreshadows the "the royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), which is the Church. God desires to purify Christians and to prepare them as "an offering in righteousness" - a generation of believers that walk right with Him.
Jesus is coming back for a Church that is pure, without spot, or any such impurity (Eph. 5:27), a Church whose heart is unpolluted with the world's system - fit to be His Bride.
The Refiner's Fire
What is the fire He uses to refine Christians? The answer is found in the following passage:
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6, 7, emphasis added).
The reason God wants to refine His people is that, He considers the genuineness of our faith, while waiting for the second coming of Jesus, is much more precious that gold that perishes. The fire God uses for refining our faith is various trials and tribulations. Once we are refined the world will see the character of Christ in us!
In Isaiah the need of refining is amplified to a greater degree:
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another" (Isaiah 48:10, 11).
The fire in God's furnace is not a literal physical fire that refines silver, but the intense heat of our trials which separates the precious from the vile. it is for His Name sake (mentioned twice) that our character conforms to the Character of Christ after the refining process.
That is the reason why Christians must be joyful when they fall into various trials:
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2, 3, emphasis added).
It is not easy be joyfull in the time of trials. But the Scripture says, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a spiritual force that gives us strength to endure afflictions and trials. The various trials could be persecution, temptations, calamities and crises of any kind. Notice that "patience" is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Notice also that James' writing is in agreement with Paul's:
"We also glory in tributlations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3, 4).
Once again Christ-like character is the goal of the Refiner's Fire!
Crises bring Christians closer to Christ
I believe God is going to let crises come. Crises do not tell us what we have but what we don't have. Crises reveal our weaknesses, our emptiness and how much we need Him. He is going to test our Christianity and He is going to test our faith in Him. He lets crises mount in our life until we feel like we are in utter despair. He sometimes begins to deal with us by withdrawing Himself from us. He is still there, but He is just not letting our emotions feel He is not there. That is why we must learn to live by our spirit instead of by our emotion (part of our soul). He wants us to live by faith of the son of God that is within us - it is His faith and not our wavering faith. He wants us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) for the "just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10:38).
Crises come into our life to move us into Christ. He, being the Head of the Church, is not happy with our religious Church activities, our self-willed routine. He wants our carnal nature brought to surrender by the cross. He wants us to walk in the Spirit so that we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).
In a crisis we are broken enough to be totally dependent upon Him and He begins to teach us His way. Sometimes He will let us come to the end of ourselves to cry out to Him, "Why God, why me God?". Not all of us take the same route to Calvary. Some of us take a longer way than others because of our fleshly nature, our stubbornness and our rebellions.
Remember the prodigal son (Luke 15:11 - 24). The Lord knew, the father knew, what he wanted with his inheritance. He knew he would spend it riotously, but his father gave it to him anyway even though he knew it would only be to his harm. He had to let him come to the end of himself, to have his carnal nature crucified, before the Father could trust him with the rich provisions of His grace.
Wilderness and Unanswered Prayer
Unanswered prayer does not mean we do not get what we asked God for in our prayer. This is not the real problem. The real problem is sometimes we don't get a reply from God!
There are many ways by which God might answer my prayer. I could be in a situation that I am quite convinced that I want something and I ask for it. The answer God gives me could be, "No you can't have it, it's not good for you", or His answer could be, "Wait, the time is not ready". But that is not the real problem because there have been an answer and I know for certain that God heard my prayer. The real problem is, when the heaven seems like brass and I feel God is not listening and I am not getting through to Him! God deliberately chooses not to reply me. This is what I mean wilderness in my prayer life.
The Lord allows me to experience this wilderness in my prayer life because he wants me to learn not to be complacent and take for granted the answered prayers. He wants me to increase my prayer effort and to move up in the "School" of prayer. He seems to say:
"Try a bit harder, I want you to grow, I want you to mature, plead a bit more. I'm going to hold back because I want you to grow in the School of Prayer and I want you to be a strong pray-er. Do not take my presence and blessing of answered prayers for granted. Put more effort in your prayer life and never give up. I want you to love Me for My own sake and I want you to seek me whether I'm there or not. I want you to learn!"
Our response to God should be:
"Yes Lord, whether I hear from You or not I have decided to go on through this wilderness experience, this season of darkness and dryness, this season of waiting and hoping. Thank you Lord for teaching me something very precious".
At the far end of the dark tunnel of wilderness, seasons of trials and tribulations is the dawn of God. The God who gave Israel, in the days of their wilderness experience, the Promised Land is the same God who gives His Church a Land of Promises!
God's Purpose for the Wilderness
God would not do anything without a purpose, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. It is good for us to study the Scripture to find out the purposes of God. God, being the Lord of all things, is in control of everything that happens to his people and around His people. There are reasons why He allows His people to experience wilderness, darkness, dryness and dullness in their walk with Him.
Israel in the Wilderness
According to Paul, Christians can learn from the things happened Israel in their wilderness experiences recorded in the writing of Moses:
"These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, ...." (1 Cor. 10:11, NKJV).
Israel's ignorance of God's nature and character caused them to act wickedly, and what was to have been a brief wilderness journey became a lifetime experience. Wilderness was a time of testing for Israel.
God spoke to Israel through Moses:
"And you shall remember the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not" (Deu. 8:2).
The purpose of the testing was to humble Israel and to find out whether they were obedient to the Lord or not.
In the time of testing the Lord caused Israel to hunger for the good things of Egypt - meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic and onions (Numbers 11:4 - 6). He did not give them the things their flesh wanted. He only gave them what their flesh needed (Deu. 8:3).
The Lord said further that by this testing Israel would know in their heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord their God chastened them (Deu. 8:5).
Israel remembered what they had left behind in Egypt (speaks of the world sytem). Their condition in Egypt, even with its bondage, appeared to be preferable to the wilderness into which God had led them.
Israel began to murmur and cried out to the Lord for meat. The result was:
"And He (God) gave them their request, so they ate (meat - quail) and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving; but (He) sent leanness into their soul" (Psalms 106:15; 78:29, 30, NKJV, emphasis added).
Israel paid a high price for what they wanted. With the meat came "leanness of soul". This leanness made them unfit to endure, unable to pass God's test, and ultimately, they never entered His promised land. The sin was not in the crying out for meat, but what that request represented - the desire for the former things, things the world system provided.
The Church in the Wilderness
All true Christians go through a period of wilderness experience in at least one stage of their Spiritual Journey. Christians are now living in the last of the last days. God wants His people to understand the times and seasons so that we are prepared to depend on Him for His harvest.
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: ..."(Eccl. 3:1).
Jesus rebuked the multitudes for failing to discern the time, "Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time" (Luke 12:56)?
Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament foretold the advent (first coming) of Jesus the Lord who is like a Refiner's Fire (Malachi 3:2).
"He (the Lord) will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness" (Malachi 3:3, emphasis added).
Notice that the "sons of Levi" foreshadows the "the royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), which is the Church. God desires to purify Christians and to prepare them as "an offering in righteousness" - a generation of believers that walk right with Him.
Jesus is coming back for a Church that is pure, without spot, or any such impurity (Eph. 5:27), a Church whose heart is unpolluted with the world's system - fit to be His Bride.
The Refiner's Fire
What is the fire He uses to refine Christians? The answer is found in the following passage:
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6, 7, emphasis added).
The reason God wants to refine His people is that, He considers the genuineness of our faith, while waiting for the second coming of Jesus, is much more precious that gold that perishes. The fire God uses for refining our faith is various trials and tribulations. Once we are refined the world will see the character of Christ in us!
In Isaiah the need of refining is amplified to a greater degree:
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another" (Isaiah 48:10, 11).
The fire in God's furnace is not a literal physical fire that refines silver, but the intense heat of our trials which separates the precious from the vile. it is for His Name sake (mentioned twice) that our character conforms to the Character of Christ after the refining process.
That is the reason why Christians must be joyful when they fall into various trials:
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2, 3, emphasis added).
It is not easy be joyfull in the time of trials. But the Scripture says, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a spiritual force that gives us strength to endure afflictions and trials. The various trials could be persecution, temptations, calamities and crises of any kind. Notice that "patience" is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Notice also that James' writing is in agreement with Paul's:
"We also glory in tributlations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3, 4).
Once again Christ-like character is the goal of the Refiner's Fire!
Crises bring Christians closer to Christ
I believe God is going to let crises come. Crises do not tell us what we have but what we don't have. Crises reveal our weaknesses, our emptiness and how much we need Him. He is going to test our Christianity and He is going to test our faith in Him. He lets crises mount in our life until we feel like we are in utter despair. He sometimes begins to deal with us by withdrawing Himself from us. He is still there, but He is just not letting our emotions feel He is not there. That is why we must learn to live by our spirit instead of by our emotion (part of our soul). He wants us to live by faith of the son of God that is within us - it is His faith and not our wavering faith. He wants us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) for the "just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10:38).
Crises come into our life to move us into Christ. He, being the Head of the Church, is not happy with our religious Church activities, our self-willed routine. He wants our carnal nature brought to surrender by the cross. He wants us to walk in the Spirit so that we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).
In a crisis we are broken enough to be totally dependent upon Him and He begins to teach us His way. Sometimes He will let us come to the end of ourselves to cry out to Him, "Why God, why me God?". Not all of us take the same route to Calvary. Some of us take a longer way than others because of our fleshly nature, our stubbornness and our rebellions.
Remember the prodigal son (Luke 15:11 - 24). The Lord knew, the father knew, what he wanted with his inheritance. He knew he would spend it riotously, but his father gave it to him anyway even though he knew it would only be to his harm. He had to let him come to the end of himself, to have his carnal nature crucified, before the Father could trust him with the rich provisions of His grace.
Wilderness and Unanswered Prayer
Unanswered prayer does not mean we do not get what we asked God for in our prayer. This is not the real problem. The real problem is sometimes we don't get a reply from God!
There are many ways by which God might answer my prayer. I could be in a situation that I am quite convinced that I want something and I ask for it. The answer God gives me could be, "No you can't have it, it's not good for you", or His answer could be, "Wait, the time is not ready". But that is not the real problem because there have been an answer and I know for certain that God heard my prayer. The real problem is, when the heaven seems like brass and I feel God is not listening and I am not getting through to Him! God deliberately chooses not to reply me. This is what I mean wilderness in my prayer life.
The Lord allows me to experience this wilderness in my prayer life because he wants me to learn not to be complacent and take for granted the answered prayers. He wants me to increase my prayer effort and to move up in the "School" of prayer. He seems to say:
"Try a bit harder, I want you to grow, I want you to mature, plead a bit more. I'm going to hold back because I want you to grow in the School of Prayer and I want you to be a strong pray-er. Do not take my presence and blessing of answered prayers for granted. Put more effort in your prayer life and never give up. I want you to love Me for My own sake and I want you to seek me whether I'm there or not. I want you to learn!"
Our response to God should be:
"Yes Lord, whether I hear from You or not I have decided to go on through this wilderness experience, this season of darkness and dryness, this season of waiting and hoping. Thank you Lord for teaching me something very precious".
At the far end of the dark tunnel of wilderness, seasons of trials and tribulations is the dawn of God. The God who gave Israel, in the days of their wilderness experience, the Promised Land is the same God who gives His Church a Land of Promises!
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