Holding the Head

In light of the current news hype and dismal proclamations, it is a temptation to be drawn into the melancholy and frustration of the times. It is apparent that everyone seems to have the answer, but at best things seem unyielding, full of contention with constant striving and politico.
Thank God for for the book of Colossians! It is a 'seated in the heavenlies' view of real life and keeps our focus in the right place so that we don't get pulled off of our perch and into the muck. God warns us in Colossians 2 about several things.

Colossians 2:6-10 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit (link - apate), after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead (spiritual nature of God) bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We are complete in him and he is the head and we 'hold' the head.

Colossians 2:18-19 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 

E. W. Bullinger in his A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament  defines the word 'holding':

krateo - to be strong, powerful; to have power or rule over; to have and to hold in one's power, to be master of, and so, to hold, hold fast, to attain and maintain power over.

Thayer and Smith define 'krateo' as:

to have power, be powerful, to be chief, be master of, to rule, to get possession of, to become master of, to obtain, to take hold of, to take hold of, take, seize, to lay hands on one in order to get him into one's power, to hold, to hold in the hand,to hold fast, i.e. not discard or let go, to keep carefully and faithfully, to continue to hold, to retain, of death continuing to hold one, to hold in check, restrain.  

The head sits on top of the body. The body elevates the head. It is an interesting analogy and a nice 'holding pattern'.
Jesus Christ is alive today and at the right hand of God. We are part of a time in history where we are part of the body of Christ and Jesus Christ is the head. God set it up that way. It is a great way to be nourished, knit together and increased with the increase of God. In confusion and frustration we have peace and live above the fray because of what God has given us. That's plenty to be thankful about!

How much simpler could it be?

Acts 1:1-8

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” NIV

The kingdom of God does not refer to a political kingdom. It is a kingdom under God's authority. Jesus Christ shared with the apostles about the Kingdom of God over the 40 days he spent with them in his resurrected body. In addition he talked to them about sharing about him to the ends of the earth.

How much simpler could it be?

Homologeo is Good For The Soul

In I John , there is a great record for believing people on what it means to 'confess' (homologeo link - speak the same thing). In I John we are reminded of the oneness we have with God and Jesus Christ through the spirit. We share that same oneness with others who are 'born again' as we all walk in the light of the Word. We're 'on the same page' so to speak.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship (koineo- link) with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. ( I John 1:1-4)

Our joy is full when we allow God's life in Christ to rest in our hearts. However sometimes we get sidetracked from the full view of what God has in store and it feels like we've wandered out on dark scary road in the middle of the night. Do we just keep walking or do we turn our direction back to the warmth and comfort of the light of home. It just takes a recognition that we have wandered into someplace where we shouldn't be. Sin is being somewhere where we shouldn't be in both doctrine and practice. (You have to have both because just walking around with the doctrine under your arm instead of in practice can keep you out on that dark road.)

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (katharizo in Greek; cathartic in English  meaning purging or purifying) us from all sin (a wandering off the mark).(I John 1:5-7)

If we walk in light we have fellowship with each other, we don't have to make fellowship with one another. God is light, there is not one micron of injustice, unkindness, failure, fear, politics (just had to throw that in), untruth, meanness or any other form of darkness you can think of. The Word of God can be more than just a flashlight lighting our path. It can be a noonday sun surrounding us with goodness and that's good for the soul!

Born Again Again

Recently, I was reminded by someone, how the Word has helped her through the years. I remember the first time many years ago when we had a conversation about God and salvation. There are many varied takes on what it means to be 'born again'. It is a popular expression. My friend had a lot of questions about salvation and the topic of the confession of sin came up. She was really scared that if she didn't confess her sins she'd never obtain salvation. God knows we all sin or miss the mark and he knows our hearts, but His wholeness and salvation is not about sin, it is about what we believe and who we look to for answers.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

In Romans 10:9 Paul writes about salvation and never mentions sin. He uses the word 'confession' (homologeo -see link) which means 'to speak the same word'. God is the one to look to to settle the salvation question.

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

When I was designing curriculum for school, I used to love sharing things that worked with others. I loved it when they believed in what I was doing, used it and it worked for them too. What if instead those people shook their heads and began confessing how they had missed it and started crying about all the mistakes they had made? Why in the world would I want people to tell me what they were doing wrong? God is omniscient, he doesn't need us to tell Him what we are doing wrong. Repentance involves a change of mind in forward motion toward the high calling of God. People who lock into that mind-set tend to leave sin-consciousness behind.

There are religious people who believe that people need to be broken back before they can ever obtain salvation. That is not humility. That is about control. The true God does not control. Humility is freely committing to God's curriculum, not crying ones eyes out at the altar. God's curriculum is found in His Word. God committed Himself to His Word and that is where we find out about Jesus Christ. We love God because he first loved us. We are drawn to him because of love not because of sin. 

God desires success for our lives beyond what we can ever imagine. Jesus Christ is the key and represents the power that is ours when we recognize his lordship and utilize the same power that got Jesus Christ up at the resurrection.

My friend believed Romans 10:9 many years ago. God is a part of her life and her family's and it is evident. Why would we want to offer any less to people?

Revival !

There is much talk on Christian television and among churches about 'revival'. In our culture today 'revival' brings to mind a filled stadium with a charismatic preacher up in front bringing souls to the altar or home plate (or whatever!). The definition of the word 'revival' has changed through the years. It comes from the French word 'revivre' composed of 're'(again) and 'vivre' (to live).

Webster's Dictionary defines 'revival' as:
To return to life; to recover life or strength; to live anew; to become reanimated or reinvigorated.

The Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into again, and he revived. 1 Kings xvii. 22.

To raise from coma, languor, depression, or discouragement; to bring into action after a suspension.
To renew in the mind or memory; to bring to recollection; to recall attention to; to reawaken.
To restore or reduce to its natural or metallic state; as, to revive a metal after calcination.

In the Bible, the word 'revive' is used mostly in individual lives such as in the example in I Kings. In the gospels and the book of Acts there are several examples of large numbers of people paying attention to the things of God, but it starts with the Word becoming a reality to an individual that sparked the attention. Peter who had denied Christ at one time in his life, sat in the temple on Pentecost and received the gift of holy spirit. He then stood up with all boldness and shared what had happened to his own heart. In Paul's life, we can read about his awakening in Acts 9 where he sees the reality of Jesus Christ and what it means. Much of the rest of Acts shows the growth of Paul and his travels to share what God had done for him, culminating in his writing of the church epistles and more that affected many lives even until this day.

Those who hear the truth and believe, revive (isn't that what the popular term 'born again'(Link) means; to again live?) because of God's gift of holy spirit. The spirit of God energizes both the body and soul of a man or woman. It strengthens, comforts, encourages, enhances, provides wisdom and many other things too numerable to mention. That is what revival is all about.

I Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

the Love of God continued ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The love of God is deep; it often moves behind the scenes. The most beautiful thing about it is that it knows exactly where to make its mark whether it is appreciated or not. When the love of God is active, it gets the task at hand done. It lifts people out of the mundane rut track and sets them above the fray. Love energizes believing. It helps people to do wonderful things when it is the motivation behind the utilization of God's spiritual tools, the nine manifestations.

Starting in verse 4 of I Corinthians 13, God lists the characteristics of His love. Because of its location between chapters 12 and 14, chapter 13 is very significant. It stands right between the scriptures that describe our spiritual abilities and the scriptures that describe those abilities in operation when people are gathered together. The love of God is central to all we do.

4Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Think about why the love of God is patient and kind? The effects produced sometimes take time, but they are are enduring. There are times when God is working with us step by step and maybe we can't see the forest for the trees, but in the end it is plainly visible how he loves us and has been cheering for us. It the same when we love others with His love. God may show us how to bless someone with the right word or action and their immediate reaction might not be what we expected. They may never see the depth of that kind of love. It doesn't matter. Our action may be part of a long string of events that eventually produces the fruit. It is God who notices what you do and lifts you up. His promotion involves providing more unimaginable opportunities for you to take care of things for Him. The more you spiritually mature, the bigger the job.

In Acts 9, there is a great example of a man walking in love and believing for God. Ananias was called upon to minister to Saul/Paul. The scripture calls Ananias a 'certain disciple'. Was he a minister? Yes! Did he have a gift ministry(Ephesians 4:11-12)?  It doesn't say. That was between him and God. What is evident in his life is the love that craves to see God's intent come to pass. That love is not human love. The intent is the ultimate motive behind it all.

Things don't happen over night, that is why patience is an attribute of God's love. The proper use of the nine manifestations to genuinely help requires that settled enduring strength on the inside. God doesn't push and shove, he is deliberate and right on. It is worth waiting for and it yields magnificent fruit. The church epistles are evidence of that.

The Love of God

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (I Corinthians 13:1-2)

Interestingly these verses are set between two chapters devoted to the operation of the gift of holy spirit in the church. We have wonderful spiritual abilities, but without the love of God we are  nothing.

Now let's throw in a little sacrifice and charity work.

 ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

What good is that! Nothing! It all sounds loving in today's world. None of these avenues come close, not even one little micrometer, to the unfathomable love God is able to pour into our  hearts  to every nook and cranny of our being. It is real, authentic, unfeigned and powerful.


There are some great books on the market on how to have  better  relationships with people, but even if a person memorizes and quotes them verbatim, the old adage applies that 'you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear'. The love of God is an inside job.  It is resident in any man or woman when he or she makes Jesus Christ Lord.  It is God's love and it FAR EXCEEDS human love! It has perception, insight, vision, righteousness, justness and so many attributes that it is hard to list them all. God lists a few in the rest of the chapter.


The love of God is something you cannot practice, rehearse or robotically manifest. No one can tell you how to do it. There is no mistaking it because it is just so right, reassuring and is perfect justice, a complete truth.


So how do we share the love of God with others? First and foremost we need to really see how much He loves us. We need to have the contentment of knowing we are loved by Him before we can ever really help others. It doesn't matter where you've been, what baggage you are trying to lug around, you can let go and let God have free reign in your hearts by reading and digesting the church epistles.
We have to remember that we don't push God around, we don't bend Him, and we don't twist Him to suit our luggage. He is what He says He is in His word and we are what He says we are. Just read the first chapter in Ephesians, it's all there.

omG! With a Capital 'G'!!

In the world today or for that matter in history, there is not some elitist group of scholars who are the only people who could truly understand God and His Word. Just read Peter’s magnificent sermon on the day of Pentecost  (check out the quote from Joel) and bask in the tremendous love that God poured out that day. The Word of God is the breath of God! If God chose to communicate to man via language and eventually with spirit in all, isn’t it conceivable that it is all quite readily available for anyone who chooses to believe?

I am thankful for men like Luther and all the reformers whose desire it was to place the Word in the hands of everyday people. I am thankful for those people who stick to the integrity of the Word and not push it beyond where God intended it to go in order to elevate their own way of thinking and importance.

In Acts 4:1-13 there is an interesting section where the religious leaders were grieved that Peter taught the people about Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead. Shouldn’t they have been happy that Jesus Christ was preached and that PEOPLE would begin to understand what the resurrection means? Unfortunately these religious leaders were elitist (the word ‘pharisee’ means ‘separate’- omg with a little ‘g’) snobs that Jesus Christ confronted time after time.

Peter was just a simple fisherman. Tracing his life through the book of Acts, it is easy to see why God gave him the mission that he did. In Acts 10, as he continued to give and grow, it is plain to see his meekness and humility to God as he ‘did the doing’ of God’s Word. In his last entry in God’s word (II Peter 3), he refers to ‘our beloved brother Paul’ and the Pauline epistles as the ‘wisdom given unto him’ that he ‘hath written unto you’. Peter warns about those that are unlearned (untaught) and unstable (not firmly set) that ‘wrest’ or’ twist’ the Word (Check the word  ‘wrest’ out in Bullinger’s Lexicon).  Paul spoke and wrote the Word that he was taught by God.

How do you know when you have the Word of God?  Take a look at what Jesus Christ said in John 7:14-18:

Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Judeans there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

All the men and women of history from Jesus Christ to Peter, Paul, the reformers or anyone who chooses to DO the Word of God will know it is true! Both doctrine and practice bring about the will of God. The first two letters in 'doctrine' are "do"! Anyone who does the Word ends up glorifying God!

“Oh my God!”

Spiritual Authority

There are many types of authority, but none is as powerful as spiritual authority.  It is not something that is sought, it is something that is given. It is what grace is all about. There is no mistaking it. It’s the wind in your sails undaunted by waves, storms or lightning. It moves mountains, and the impossible becomes possible. It is not obtained  by works, but by believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all that it represents.

Abraham is called the ‘father of believing’. God promised him a fruitful life and He never backed off on that promise. Even when the law was given to Moses, God still remained faithful to what he promised Abraham. Abraham looked to the coming Christ and what it would mean as an inheritance from God.

Galatians 3:17-19: And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.  For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave (Link-charizomai) it to Abraham by promise.  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, til the seed should come to whom the promise was made;

Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The Galatians of Paul’s time needed to hear this, as do many people who think they are justified by the law today. The law has no spiritual power because grace, which is the power of God imparted to us, is unearned. It is believed.

Galatians 5:4: Christ is become of no effect (Link-katargeo) unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.


If God is the wind in your sails, why would you want to jump overboard and swim back to shore? Works take us back to the shoals of fruitless action. Putting up with the navigational hazards of shallow water, seems safe but it renders a vessel powerless not to mention it wrecks the prop when you start the engine.

Spiritual authority and power is not just reserved for those of certain calling. We all have a calling. Every person in Christ has access to God through the Word and His spirit within. Not recognizing this produces spiritually immature people who become dependent on others as well as their own limited strength rather than God.

With our sails up in believing, having the love of God from the Word as our rudder, and the hope of Christ’s return as an ready and waiting anchor, we can get to wherever need to go.

What is Truth?

What is truth? The question of all questions!  Pilate put the same question to Jesus. It is recorded in John 18:37-40,19:1:

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

Pilate had the truth looking him straight in the eye. Did he wait for an answer to that question? No, his concern was his position as the Roman prefect. Seeing that Jesus was not a threat to Roman government, he had done his job. That was it. All that was left for him to do was to court public opinion. He played to the crowd. He found no fault yet scourged him.

Pilate let something else do his thinking for him. It was his position, his perception of himself, his lazy attitude toward truth and just basically his own fear that motivated him. That is not freedom.

Today in any category of life we have the same choice. We can make decisions based on truth or we can look in other directions. There certainly are plenty of options. We say we are the ones to decide our own life, but in reality are we just turning our life's decisions over to something else or way of thinking. It is evident that this type of thinking leads only to entanglement and self-deception.

We have the same opportunity in life of looking into the same eyes that Pilate looked into and believe his life is the way, the truth and life.  The God of truth never controls, he sent His son to show us freedom and if we chose him we are free (link) indeed!

Strength, Assurance

In Luke 22:32 Jesus Christ spoke to Peter some great words:

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted (strepho), strengthen (link -sterizo) thy brethren.

Even though Peter in the whirlwind of the crucifixion times, denied Christ several times, he stood up strengthened on the day of Pentecost after receiving the gift from God of holy spirit and delivered one of the boldest sermons in the history of mankind.  Peter delivered that sermon. No one coerced him. He boldly stood up with assurance of what had happened and he was to impart it to his brethren.

Paul, later in the book of Romans, Paul displays this same calling.

Romans 1:11 For I long (epipitheo- earnestly desire) to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift (charisma), to the end ye may be established ;

To strengthen people, means laying out the truth before people.  It is helping them see the same reassurance God provides to all who believe, that of holy spirit. In each of our lives, the risen Christ rests within our spirit with great potential. It becomes dynamic when the individual realizes his strength to accomplish his own unique great things for God.

Romans 16:25-27 Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery (Colossians 1:27), which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.