Friends,
As we close out this week, I'd like to reflect a bit on Pastor Benji's comments that were shared towards the end of the sermon. In essence, Pastor Benji asked us to consider the reality of demonic oppression and how the realm of darkness presents itself in this twenty-first century.
In Bible times, demonic oppression was connected to physiological manifestations. So, we read in Scripture about people who were mute, or deaf, or blind, or prone to psychotic behaviors.
But is it limited to that?
In past blogs, I called for fasting and prayer concerning the actions and intents of Governor Paterson (for a sampling, see my blogs from 10/28/2009 and 12/3/2009). And I asked for fasting and prayer because I believed that certain decisions, if made law, would ultimately undermine both our society and our religious liberty. Do you think that some legislative endeavors are diametrically opposed to the advancement of the kingdom of God? I do. Would you go so far as to say that some legislative decisions are driven not by economy or politics, but by unseen demonic forces? I would.
So, what do we do when we recognize a spiritual force that is undermining the work of God's kingdom?
-We pray.
-We fast.
-We declare the word of God fearlessly.
-We inform and warn our community.
Speaking the truth occasionally lands us into trouble, especially when we have a microphone in our hands while we're speaking that truth. (Yes, I'm referring to that incident where some "dominion-of-darkness-supporter" person complained to headquarters about our senior pastor. As if that's going to stop us from speaking the truth.)
Guess what? We are in a war. Not a war against people or systems, but against principalities, powers, and unseen rulers (see Ephesians 6:12).
So fight on, my friends. Just make sure you're fighting on behalf of our victorious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Never be found fighting against Him.
See you next week!
Showing posts with label Luke 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke 6. Show all posts
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Close Call.
Hello Friends,
Today let's finish up the "calls" from Pastor Benji's sermon:
A call to intimacy. One sign of our love for Jesus is evidenced in our knowledge of Him. Because we love Him, our desire is to get to know Him better every day.
A call to involvement. Our task is to make the kingdom of God known to everyone. In order to do so, we must act upon what we believe. We are called to share our faith, not keep it to ourselves.
A call to impact. The power of "we": no one is working alone. Though we each have different roles and tasks, the collaborative effort of Christians around the world is a powerful and relevant force.
A question to ponder: How can Bronx Bethany impact the local community?
Today let's finish up the "calls" from Pastor Benji's sermon:
A call to intimacy. One sign of our love for Jesus is evidenced in our knowledge of Him. Because we love Him, our desire is to get to know Him better every day.
A call to involvement. Our task is to make the kingdom of God known to everyone. In order to do so, we must act upon what we believe. We are called to share our faith, not keep it to ourselves.
A call to impact. The power of "we": no one is working alone. Though we each have different roles and tasks, the collaborative effort of Christians around the world is a powerful and relevant force.
A question to ponder: How can Bronx Bethany impact the local community?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Abandoned, Building.
In Luke 6:12-16 and Mark 3:13-19, we see that Jesus selected twelve of His followers and called them to a closer walk with Him. They obeyed, and Jesus equipped them with power to demonstrate signs of His kingdom.
Pastor Benji noted that these followers of Jesus has already embraced "the messianic hope": prior to Jesus's ministry, they had been followers of John the Baptist, Jesus's cousin who preached repentance. And when John identified Jesus as the Messiah, many of John's followers left to follow Jesus (see John 3:26-36).
Of the many, Jesus chose twelve.
These twelve, as was the custom in that culture, abandoned everything else and spent three years seeing Jesus up-close. They had a front row seat from which they could watch Him live. Pastor Benji shared with us that this "front row seat" allowed the twelve to see how Jesus responded to insults, misunderstanding, and prejudice. They saw how Jesus conducted Himself in ministry. And Scripture shows us that eleven of the twelve learned from watching Him.
To summarize, Pastor Benji gave us a short list of what this abandonment entailed:
-the Twelve abandoned people;
-the Twelve abandoned places;
-the Twelve abandoned practices.
What's that, you say? Leave my family? My neighborhood? My employment?
Yes! Who better to build up the kingdom of God than the men and women who are fully abandoned to Him?
Would you be willing to do a homework assignment? Read Matthew 19:27-30.
Lord, help us to be fully abandoned to You!
Pastor Benji noted that these followers of Jesus has already embraced "the messianic hope": prior to Jesus's ministry, they had been followers of John the Baptist, Jesus's cousin who preached repentance. And when John identified Jesus as the Messiah, many of John's followers left to follow Jesus (see John 3:26-36).
Of the many, Jesus chose twelve.
These twelve, as was the custom in that culture, abandoned everything else and spent three years seeing Jesus up-close. They had a front row seat from which they could watch Him live. Pastor Benji shared with us that this "front row seat" allowed the twelve to see how Jesus responded to insults, misunderstanding, and prejudice. They saw how Jesus conducted Himself in ministry. And Scripture shows us that eleven of the twelve learned from watching Him.
To summarize, Pastor Benji gave us a short list of what this abandonment entailed:
-the Twelve abandoned people;
-the Twelve abandoned places;
-the Twelve abandoned practices.
What's that, you say? Leave my family? My neighborhood? My employment?
Yes! Who better to build up the kingdom of God than the men and women who are fully abandoned to Him?
Would you be willing to do a homework assignment? Read Matthew 19:27-30.
Lord, help us to be fully abandoned to You!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
One Degree Of Separation.
Hello Friends,
We'll spend the remainder of this week sharing a few of the notes from Pastor Benji's sermon. I found the sermon personally challenging, and the Lord has really impressed upon me the necessity of not just hearing His word, but acting upon it. I pray that He is doing the same in your life, and that you're feeling the urge to respond to Him in loving obedience.
Today, let's consider two of the "calls" mentioned in the sermon.
The call to salvation. It's a call given out to everyone: the Lord desires that we all would be saved. May we lose our desire for sin, and every day draw closer to His grace and glory.
The call to service. Once we have been saved, then the Lord equips us for His service. We should heed the warning not to confuse talent with calling. There are many gifted orators, singers, and administrators in the church world. But the offering of talent, without one's having previously accepted the call to salvation, is an unacceptable offering. Jesus wants your heart above all else you can give.
Salvation first, then service. Have you ordered your "calls" correctly? If not, today is a great day to fix that!
Lord, please help us to be sure of where we stand in You. As we are warned in Scripture, please give us strength and courage to give You our hearts first, then give You our gifts. We trust You to accomplish this in us by Your Spirit. Amen.
We'll spend the remainder of this week sharing a few of the notes from Pastor Benji's sermon. I found the sermon personally challenging, and the Lord has really impressed upon me the necessity of not just hearing His word, but acting upon it. I pray that He is doing the same in your life, and that you're feeling the urge to respond to Him in loving obedience.
Today, let's consider two of the "calls" mentioned in the sermon.
The call to salvation. It's a call given out to everyone: the Lord desires that we all would be saved. May we lose our desire for sin, and every day draw closer to His grace and glory.
The call to service. Once we have been saved, then the Lord equips us for His service. We should heed the warning not to confuse talent with calling. There are many gifted orators, singers, and administrators in the church world. But the offering of talent, without one's having previously accepted the call to salvation, is an unacceptable offering. Jesus wants your heart above all else you can give.
Salvation first, then service. Have you ordered your "calls" correctly? If not, today is a great day to fix that!
Lord, please help us to be sure of where we stand in You. As we are warned in Scripture, please give us strength and courage to give You our hearts first, then give You our gifts. We trust You to accomplish this in us by Your Spirit. Amen.