Category: Book Reviews

The whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done through them. Acts 15:12

After World War I, Lawrence of Arabia visited Paris accompanied by friends who had never been outside the desert. Lawrence showed them City of Lights, (just think how they would react if they were there today for the summer Olympics?) but he was amused to find they were most fascinated by the faucets in their rooms. They constantly turned them off and on, marveling at the instant supply of water. While packing to leave, Lawrence found them in the bathroom trying to detach the faucets. “It’s very dry in Arabia,” they explained. “What we need are faucets.”

They didn’t realize they also needed the plumbing that went with them. (what a good analogy to the Church today? Faucets everywhere, though only a few are hooked up!)

When we labor for Christ, it’s encouraging to see ourselves as faucets. It’s not what we do for Jesus, but what He Himself does through us by His Spirit. (Amen)

Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him” (John 7:37-38). Notice that we drink from Jesus (“come to Me and drink”), but from that drink comes a stream (streams of living water flow from deep within him”). In response to simple faith, the Lord does far more through us than we can ever imagine.

BOTTOM LINE:

It doesn’t depend on our personalities, gifts, skills, or looks. Any old faucet will convey water so long as it’s connected with the source. Don’t think about what you can do for Christ, but never underestimate what He can do through you.

Thanks again to Robert J Morgan’s “All to Jesus: A Year of Devotions. Day 57 2008

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION by merlin:  

After reading Acts 15:12, my continually questioning mind asks me, just when exactly was the last time I witnessed that “the assembly fell silent and listened to anyone describe all the signs and wonders that God had done.” OR, even much more pertinent, is now doing. Give me an example. I pray you can, especially, from within the last week.

Truth be told though, our worship today is not geared for that interchange, even if examples or pertinent material were present. Might I include our SS classes also? I have in fact at times removed myself from the “assembly” to escape the worship on stage…., which quite frankly reminds me more of the Baal worship Elijah observed on Mt Carmel than the “falling silent and listening” in Acts 15. Just saying.

Or consider, the other extreme, being lulled to sleep by professionals who may have the knowledge but have not yet fully experienced His streams of living water in their faith community, or perhaps even more likely, have an inhibiting audience that will not tolerate such capers. This clip, as well as yesterday’s, on truth and grace, really cut to the chase with me.

As a child, I personally witnessed a few churches with members possessing and displaying spiritual knowledge and a few with startling transformations. Today unfortunately, we have made a “profession of faith” the goal of evangelism and there too often, we end the process. Contrary to popular belief, this professing belief in Jesus does not make one a Christian, biblically speaking.

We must consider these words of Jesus, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Anyone can mouth the words, but that’s not the same as actually believing it, and then, acting on it.

So, given the trends, pressures, & chaos, too often our churches are filled more by the “professors,” rather than disciples – and Jesus never commissioned us to gather in professions of faith; rather, didn’t He commission us to make disciples of the “called,” not the “coerced.” That is exactly why I so much appreciate books like Wendell Martins Go Now, & Jamie Winship’s “Fearless Living: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God.” I just happen to believe in today’s twisted church cultures, there are those aspiring vibrant Christ-Followers that would benefit from reading & implementing the scriptural truths in these two books, and perhaps, even have copies to loan out “for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” Truly a different perspective.

Understand, although I could have written and I sorta did in last Friday and Saturday’s posts, the last two paragraphs are from another brothers position paper titled “Shifting Our Evangelism Paradigm: A Deeper Look at a New Re-Formation” sprouting from Galatians 4:19, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,” might I add via discipleship, not merely professions of faith. Sorta reminds me today why the Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences were written and posted on their blog door in 1517 that caused the first Reformation, doesn’t it?

I just searched the internet with the above title and was inundated with screens of evangelism paradigm shifts. Just wait up searching now until I get permission to post this brother’s succinctly abbreviated paper as I much appreciate his wisdom, interpretation, and approach to the challenge.

In the meantime, review the BOTTOM LINE once more from above. It is absolutely not the faucet; it’s all about being connected, transformed, transparent, and obedient! Consider today how vital the authentic vibrancy of our “assembling” speaks volumes to both the “seekers” and the “planted in our midst each Sunday morning , whether they be “disconnected from the vine, or a disconnected faucet.”

Again, as I’ve said before, we do live in exciting times to disciple effectively by:

1.) remodeling the disconnected faucets within our walls, Or

2.) if you prefer only plumbing new construction as I see in the Help Wanted ads, stay outside the walls and the dry dusty church culture crowd and run new lines to the dry faucets out and about your centers of influence whom were never yet in a church or certainly vowed they’d never return…

In parting, I Peter 1:22 “Seeing that you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”

These are powerful words folks. Think on them.

Day 57

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Truth, by itself, is quick to post warning signs and guardrails at the top of the cliff. Yet it fails to empower people to drive safely – and neglects to help them when they crash.

Grace, by itself, is quick to post ambulances and paramedics at the bottom of the cliff. But it fails to post warning signs and build guardrails. In so doing, it encourages the very self-destruction it attempts to heal.

Truth without grace degenerates into judgmental legalism. Grace without truth degenerates into deceitful tolerance of sin.         

BOTTOM LINE:

Christ’s heart is equally grieved by grace-suppression and truth-suppression, by grace-twisting and truth-twisting. Grace and truth are both necessary. Neither by itself is sufficient.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

If needed for your quick reference during the next days to fully comprehend & apply truth & grace, take a picture of this post on your phone. Consider our use of our Father’s gifts of truth & grace when we’re struggling with gravity near our life’s cliffs…. Actually, gravity is God’s gift to us also, for in this example, it too is a merely a symptom of the fact we’ve gotten off His path for us… and therefore, gravity is His gift to interject the reality of His love into our sin shattered lives.

Thanks to Randy Alcorns Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word Day 57

II Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

I once heard someone say that of all men who ever lived, Barabbas should have the best understanding of vicarious substitution. Somebody died in his place. This murderer and thief walked out a free man, the crowds cheering his release. At the same time, an innocent Jesus was sentenced to die.

But Barabbas isn’t the only one who can say that Jesus died in his place. We all can say that Jesus died on that Cross for us, just as He did for Barabbas. In the words of II Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus simply died that we might live. He was bound, that we who are in bondage to sin might indeed be set free; though too often, we’re not even aware of how bound we actually are.

BOTTOM LINE:

When word of his freedom came, he only had to walk out of that cell to be truly free. Through Christ, our cell door has sprung open. All we have to do is say, “I accept what Christ did for me, and I will now live in the light of that truth.”

David Jeremiah’s Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God July 17

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

Our problem as man, is that we desire hope and transcendence without our surrendering, to God and His inconvenient Truths… yesterday’s post lead sentence…

I’ve had an interesting day. I awoke this morning that four airlines were shut down because of computer problems and a few minutes ago a friend called saying some banks are closed because of similar problems.

Earlier this afternoon, I overheard a longtime Christian trucker friend, Mike who possesses an astute open and savvy political mind who is a modern-day Benjamin Franklin, (Ben’s type are unusually scarce today even though their soapboxes are everywhere) whom loves America waxing lovingly eloquent with a newbie fellow trucker much as the Apostle Paul did on Mars Hill, who my heart really ached for, because this newbies demeanor, I thought, even screamed “help!” I had introduced myself to him earlier in the week but had not uncovered all this, but Mike had evidently done his homework with the lad because I quickly learned from their engaging conversation that he was a rather beaten man, without a spiritual compass or identity, an emotionally broken husband in a contractual marriage whence he was the pawn, or a belittled gopher. Their conversation was focused on his wife’s extreme hatred of Trump, such that she would have shot him in Butler herself had she the opportunity.

I know Mike is more an independent voter type avoiding the hype, for his conversational thrust was that we are we all at fault, especially the church, big business, and corrupt politicians for not merely allowing this polarization in America, but actually outright promoting it. This poor lad was so distraught at his wife’s hatred of Trump that he’d been victimized by it as well. He appeared unable to engage in any meaningful conversation about any of the issues facing our nation. I excused myself as Mike was more knowledgeable of the lad and skilled than I, and for sure, I was out of time.

While driving home, I reflected on the lad’s brokenness, his wife’s extreme hatred of anything Republican, and Mike’s simple assessment of America’s decline having been caused by spiritually dead churches, selfish big business and selfish politicians. Yes, indeed. If it were just that simple. I concluded with thinking that this posts main character, Barabbas, perhaps is our answer. For example, we’re all victims of sin as we struggle for freedom in our self-imposed emotional & psychological  prisons, (that we’ve all been prepared or equipped, as was Barabbas, to simply walk out of or away from) and it is also quite evident, we are not ready to Exchange the Lies of the World, for the Liberating Truth Of  Almighty God and Jesus Christ, as the Jamie Winship book’s title proclaims, and all of Scripture reveals! I’m done. merlin

Day 35:

Reflect the magnificence of this verse “The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19.7

Understand those who reject God’s truth do not believe in nothing; they believe in anything. Once you surrender objective truth, upon what rational basis can you reject even the most absurd truth-claims?

People long to be believe in the transcendent – something above and beyond us. Perhaps that’s why UFO’s and benevolent aliens fascinate us. We desire hope and transcendence without surrender to God and His truths, some of which we find very, very inconvenient. And some of the same people who believe these outrageous stories reject Christianity because they think them unbelievable. Aren’t we all in for a surprise?

BOTTOM LINE:

“It’s easier to find a score of men wise enough to discover the truth than to find one intrepid enough, being characterized by sufficient resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance, when in the face of opposition, to stand up for it.”   Archibald Alexander Hodge (1823-1886)

AAH was the principal of Princeton Seminary 1878-1886, and the son of Charles Hodge, the latter quite famous for his prolific quotes. See quotes.net or Quotefancy.com, for Charle’s quotes, such as “the grace of God exalts a man without inflating him, and humbles a man without debasing him.” OR “the gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches.”

Randy Alcorn Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word 2017 Day 35

And whoever said books, (or today, internet searches) aren’t relevant or interesting?

I should certainly know better by now than to think I can predict what the next post is to be… Especially since God prefers we live in His moments, over ours. Even to the extent that a chirping smoke detector overrules the thoughtfully set alarm from the evening prior.. merlin

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

Christians who believe biblical truths are skeptical about hundreds of other truth-claims.

Secular society – which we often think of as skeptical – is remarkably gullible about falsehoods they ought to reject.

The Bible is unsympathetic to teachings and worldviews that contradicts God’s Words: “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing.” I Timothy 6: 3-4

Why is false doctrine connected with conceit? A proud person elevates self over God, believing he is smarter than God’s Word and can improve on it.

BOTTOM LINE:

“If false, Christianity is not important.

If true, it is of infinite importance.

What it can not be is moderately important.”   C.S. Lewis

Oh boy! That last line really does hurt; or convict!

Thanks to Randy Alcorn for his Day 34 from his book Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word

I was a police officer for several years back in the 1980’s. When I arrested somebody, I would bring them in and ask them for a confession. I didn’t ask them for an apology. We teach confession as though it were just saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” When a police-officer hands you a pen and paper and says “Write the truth about what happened,” and you write “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” it resolves nothing.

We grew up thinking confession was just telling everyone and God that we we’re sorry about stuff. But “I’m sorry” doesn’t lead to a transformation.

Confession is telling God the truth about what you really believe about him, yourself, and others. It’s the greatest act, a sacrament. God loves honest confession. Confession is the beginning of a genuine transformation. If you don’t tell God your truth, how can he enlighten your reality with his truth?

If I say to God, “I think you let me down every day, and I’m afraid to take a new job because I’m afraid you won’t show up,” he will always work with that. Always.

He will respond to truth. Jesus says, “For if you embrace the truth, it will release true freedom into your lives” (John 8:32 TPT). Truth always sets you free. Hiding the truth always makes you a slave. If you will not tell the truth, you’re in bondage to the lie, the deception, and the rationalization. Don’t apologize for your perceived reality; tell the truth about it. That’s confession. Remorse is not repentance.

Confession, repentance, transformation.

We practice confession and repentance all the time. Every time I feel intimidated by a situation, I say, “God, let me tell you how I feel right now.” God already knows how I feel and what I really believe. I’m not faking him out. I just say, “Lord, I really feel intimidated. I feel fearful right now. I feel powerless with this person. That’s how I feel.” That’s confession. Notice I’m not saying, “Lord, I’m so sorry for feeling afraid; please take the fear away.” God doesn’t want to merely remove your fear; he invites you to allow Him to simply transform it. Trust Him!

Acknowledging the truth about your fear opens the way for repentance and for your truth (fear) to be transformed by God’s truth. Then you have authority over your fear rather than the fear controlling you. That is called freedom.

God’s response to true confession is always grace and mercy. He “might whisper, “Beautiful. Let’s work with that. No one has authority over you. No one ever has or ever will. I brought you into this situation because this is what I want to accomplish with you. This person needs you. They’re hurt. They need you.” Boom! Repent – change the way you think – turn around and go the new way. That’s confession and repentance.

BOTTOM LINE:

When you live in continuous confession and repentance, your life is transformed in every area: professionally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. In every way, you will begin to ascend.

As I guide you in asking God questions, be prepared to write. Write ideas on your phone, on paper, on your hand …write down what comes to mind. You want the false things you’re believing to come into the light. Don’t live your life in secret. The fingerprints of Satan on your life are secrecy and shame. Writing down thoughts and impressions gets them out of your mind and into the light.

It’s even freeing to say these beliefs out loud to others you trust who are in the process with you. This is a great way to get to know one another in a small group and certainly a much better way than using those superficial formulaic introductions.  

Confessing to one another is the greatest way to form true community because it draws people together. They never forget one another because they’ve been with each other in their fear. And they’ve worked through their fear into victory. Confession makes communities function well together. This is true, spiritual relationship reality.

Silencing the Room & Moving On…

As a cop, I learn that when I go into a very tense situation and silence the demonic, the situation calms down. I call this exercise “silencing the room.” It got to be rather funny when I was training rookies. I would tell them, “Watch this.” Then I would pray out loud and the entire room would go silent. The surprised rookie would ask, “Where did you learn that? It’s not in the academy.”

When you’ve picked up this book, you brought all kinds of false ideas with you. You can’t help it; you’re human. Anxiety, fear, guilt, shame – all the garbage came with you, and the enemy is attached to it. The enemy has no authority over you. But if you think he does, in that way he does. That’s sort of his game. He asks you to give him permission to run your life, and you say yes by believing his deceptions: “I’m not good enough,” “Nothing will ever change,” “I’m stuck in this situation,” “God will never use me,” “I’m alone in this mess,” and so on. The enemy is ruling your life, and you become what you believe.

To Aid Your Further Reflections:

So, we’re going to silence the room. With God’s help, we’re going to silence the negative voices that disrupt our lives. Doing so puts the room and everything in it back in its rightful order. As we silence the room, your mind is going to open. As your mind begins to unlock, start writing down the ideas, thoughts, or impressions that come to mind. More to come.

(verbatim from Living Fearless by Jamie Winship, pages 47-51)

NEXT UP:

A necessary prayer of our dedication to Almighty God to Live Fearless; by exchanging the lies of the world for the liberating truth of God.

My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty

By Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest  July 15

I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14

Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtednesss to Christ regarding every unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.

I am not a superior person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said, “…you are not your own…you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real.

BOTTOM LINE:

Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

Yesterday morning this word “barbarian” really struck my consciousness anew! Remember from your high school world history classes Middle Age historians’ accounts of the barbarians (middle-ages terrorists, not merely middle-aged men or late maturing boys!) who were then threatening, indeed, as now, are seen by perhaps certain vocal Christian pontificators as challenging and shaking the very moorings and the foundations of our western civilization?

A closer examination of my grandfather’s Thompson Chain Reference Bible refers me to I Cor 14:11 (unknown tongues?) and that to Col 3:11 and that in turn, to chain #341, also including Acts 28:4 “and when the ‘barbarians’ saw the venomous beast (snake) hang on his hand, they said amongst themselves, no doubt this man is a murderer, though he (Paul) hath escaped the sea…”

Perhaps the word barbarian is better interpreted today as our “in the image of God brothers” yet outside the “fold” as indeed was Saul (later, becoming our beloved Apostle Paul) prior to his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, who was “yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” … And don’t forget in our current cultural passivity, that Saul was prior the encounter, the kingpin in the leadership of the organized church.

I think our task to be salt and light today and beyond, is similar to the way the 20 construction workers from the Libya Coptic Church evidently witnessed back in February of 2015, to the 21^st victim, named Matthew Ayariga, of black African descent from Ghana, or perhaps Chad, who stated at some opportune moment in their transport to that beach, “I am a Christian and I am like them,” joining the 20 martyrs that fateful day. Search greekcitytimes.com for more interesting details.

This all reminds me of an account(s) somewhere in Martyrs Mirror, where during public on the town square mass burnings of dozens of Christians, such as our forefathers in Europe, that spectators in the crowds were so compelled by the previous witness of Jesus empowering the daily living of these persecuted and tortured men and women, even teens; that the “called” spectators voluntarily joined those confined in the flames sacrificing their lives, joining their new brothers in Christ, that very day in eternity. Consider, as is declared in Hebrews 11:25 speaking of Moses and all martyrs, “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season…

Restated from Utmost above, Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel Jesus; I am only free that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.”  

In regard to this word barbarian, I prefer to dwell on interpreting our current fragmented global planet and its God ordained domestic villages from the mysteries and majesty of Almighty God and the admonitions I read in such passages as Col 3:10-17 (actually, one should include the first nine verses as well!

10.) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

11.) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12.) Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13.) Forebearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14.) And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15.) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16.) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17.) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.