Everyday is Church!

The body of Christ is the Church (ekklesia) of God. It is one under one Head, Jesus Christ. The Greek word ‘ekklesia’ is a word that is translated ‘church’ in the New Testament. It refers to a called-out group of people ('ek'-out from or of; 'kaleo'- to call). The church was never to be about the buildings (an idea that really flourished in 350 AD) or about a certain denomination or organization. It is about people, men and women who are committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ and who exercise the power of God in everyday life.

 Jesus Christ pointed this out in John 4:20-24 when the woman at the well related their conversation to  physical places of worship.  

20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

Stephen in his answer to his accusers states  in Acts 7:48-49:

 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

Today the English word ‘church’ (link) brings to mind a  ‘house of the Lord’. The word for ‘belonging to the Lord’ is another Greek word 'kuriakos'.  John Ayto's useful "Dictionary of Word Origins" (Arcade:
New York, 1990) speaks of this word and it's development:

--*church* [OE] Etymologically, a *church* is the 'Lord's house.' Its ultimate source is Greek *kyrios*... The adjective derived from this was *kyriakos*, whose use in the phrase 'house of the Lord' led to its use as a noun, *kyriakon*. The medievlal Greek form, *kyrkon* 'house of worship' was borrowed into West Germanic as *kirika, producing eventually German *kirche* and English *church*. The Scots form *kirk* comes from Old Norse *kirkja*, which in turn was borrowed from Old English.-- 

History and evolution of word etymology must be responsible for the King James translators to substitute the word ‘church’ in place of ‘ekklesia’ when translating from the Greek texts. Other translators such as Tyndale translated the word ‘ekklesia’ as 'congregation' instead of 'church'. King James actually uses the word 'assembly' for 'ekklesia' in other places.

The first use of the word 'church' is in Matthew 16:18. 

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter ( petros- shifting, movable, stone), and upon this rock(petra - referring to himself - immovable) I will build my church (ekklesia, not kuriakos); and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus Christ was not building a cathedral or any type of building, he was drawing people to God through his life. He was and is  building  an assembly or a congregation who will be gathered together when he returns. I doubt very much that the Basilica in Rome or Westminster Abbey are going to be lifting off on that day.  On that notable day all the members of the church of God also called the body of Christ will be joined to the head Christ irrespective of denomination, non-denomination or un-denomination!

The Wind in Your Sail

Last week as I wiggled my toes in the sand and looked out over the Sound, I envisioned the sailboats that soon would come out of their storage and take up residence among the hollows and crests of lapping waves of this inlet.  The ocean is amazing to me, its beauty, its color reflecting the sky and its wonderful sounds.  The waves are ruffled at the surface, but deep below there is quiet and it is somewhat motionless.

Last summer for my birthday, one of my kids rented a large sailboat to sail over this area around sunset.  We were there vacationing for a week  and everyday the weather had been beautiful. The night before the sail, however, a big storm had blown in and was threatening the next day. It was supposed to last all day. Miraculously 45 minutes before our voyage, we got a call from a member of the crew of the ship that the storm  had blown by and the sail would be even better in the aftermath of the storm and it was!

Watching big sails unfurl and catch the wind reminded me of what life is like when God is the wind in your sail. It is in reading and quiet times with God that we unfurl the canvas and we are energized. As we then act in whatever situation we are involved in we start to notice fruit in our heart, love (not grouchiness), joy (not misery), peace (not anxiety), longsuffering (not impatience), gentleness (not hardness), goodness (not cruelty), faith (not fear), meekness (not arrogance), temperance (not greed) despite what is going on around us. (Galatians 5:22-23)

With God's strength we are able to tackle even the most difficult tasks and projects. When the waves get rough we also have the courage to make those decisions that are necessary to move in the direction of still waters.

In Acts 12 it is recorded that Herod had killed James (one of the apostles) and Peter had been thrown in jail.  There was great pressure all around and yet Peter was able to sleep (verse 6) in this ordeal and God was able to deliver him.  This had all happened right after his meeting with the Cornelius household in one of the most significant events in God's timetable. Waves of life come with crests and hollows.

I think of things that Peter must have remembered like walking on water, the transfiguration, standing up with the eleven on Pentecost, and healing the man at the temple gate.  Unlike the walking on water incident, he did not hesitate to stand in the wake of the spiritual tsunamis that was pounding on Jerusalem. He did not question himself and his standing with God. He set his sail.

We also have access to God through Jesus Christ. God is faithful to His promises. He listens to our heart and His strength becomes our strength as he directs and guides us to safe harbors.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Households that Change the World!

Home is where the heart of God lives! In Acts 10 there is a record of a remarkable family. They were gentiles, living and serving in Caesarea. Cornelius, the head of the household was a Roman soldier and chose to worship God instead of the pagan gods of Rome.

In Acts 10:2 it is recorded about his life that he was:

A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

The word 'devout' is used to describe 3 people in the book of Acts, Cornelius (Acts 10:2), one of his soldiers (Acts 10:7) and Ananias who ministered to Paul (Acts 22:12). According to E.W Bullinger in A Critical Lexicon and Concordance To The English and Greek New Testament, the Greek word 'eusebes' from which devout was translated from is defined as "reverence for God which shews itself in actions, practical piety of every kind, the energy of piety in the life, reverence well and rightly directed".

Cornelius was a man of practical action. In other words he lived a life with an integrity that exemplified his beliefs. God wanted Cornelius to have the full measure of the faith of Jesus Christ and he had him send for Peter. At the very same time God was preparing the heart of Peter to minister to the Cornelius household and some of his friends. All activities flowed together with the beautiful synergy of God to give Cornelius the answer to his prayers.

In II Peter 2:9 it says,

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly (eusebes) out of temptations,

What does that mean for us? We, too, can have the answers from God that we need and God's timing is always perfect. Just as in Cornelius's life, it will have an affect on those around us. We just have to trust him like Cornelius did!

Jesus Christ and the Gentiles - Equal Opportunity God - Part II

Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry said of himself that he was  sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), yet there are records in the gospels of him making exceptions and helping Gentiles.

In Luke 4:24-30, Luke  writes about two interesting accounts Jesus Christ brought up when he returned to Nazareth from one of his trips. The people of Nazareth had heard about all the things he had done in Capernum and they wanted to see him do the same things there. He knew their unbelief (Mark 6:5,6).

Luke 4:24-30  24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

During this time referred to in Elijah’s life, Elijah was sent over 80 miles in rugged terrain to Zarephath , a Gentile city to live with a widow woman according to God’s instructions. Israel was in pretty bad shape at that time under the rule of evil Ahab. God sent Elijah to a Gentile woman.

The second event involved Naaman who was also a Gentile, and who lived during Elisha’s time. Naaman received healing for his leprosy.

These two records would be very familiar to the people of Nazareth and because of their attitude and unbelief, hearing the events of the widow woman and Naaman would anger them. Jesus’ bold statements about himself infuriated them, so it was no wonder that there weren’t more miraculous events there.

A great point is made here that God’s heart regardless of Judean or Gentile is with the individual who believes. This angered the religious elite. In Luke 4 they wanted Jesus Christ out of their city!

Equal Opportunity God

At the time of Jesus Christ's death the veil separating the people from the holiest of holies in the Jerusalem temple was ripped from top to bottom. It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that all men were given access to God. It was like God was saying "Ok that's it! This religious separation is done! Enough of this temple stuff! Rip!!!!!!"

In the book of Acts, one can read about tremendously meek men like Peter and Paul who listened to God and continued to erase all lines of the elitism and separatism of man-made religion. They were great men, not perfect, and they stood on what God was showing them strengthened by the spirit within. They were real leaders, growing, believing, moving and serving others. Both men had adjustments to make in their lives and they knew it. They were keenly aware of what was going on around them and adapted to God's revelation to them. There was plenty of opposition and differences of opinion as others clung to the old traditional ways of doing things. They were not afraid to change, to throw out those old traditions and reach out to bring the living vitality of God's spiritual strength to anyone who so chose to believe.

Paul's conversion and growth started in Acts 9.  In Acts 10, Peter continued to make adjustments to his thinking. They were working for the same God! Paul ultimately would minister to the uncircumcision and Peter to the circumcision, but with the same spiritual direction. This required change on both men's parts.

In Acts 10, Peter, in one of the most detailed accounts in Acts, ministers the Word to a Roman household in Caesarea. The careful description of how God worked with all the individuals involved by preparing their hearts and detailing instructions with exquisite timing is an event that only God could orchestrate. At the end of it Peter makes a beautiful statement of God's heart towards all walks and cultures:

^{Acts 10:34}Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (see link to Digging Deeper))

This meant that there was no longer Jew(Judean) or Gentile. The body of Christ was comprised of the children of God. The chosen people were those who chose Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life!

God truly is an equal opportunity God. He has given each of His children the gift of holy spirit to live life to the fullest and help others. Our lives have this same orchestration as we continue to move, growing and changing with the spirit of God. We become equal opportunity ambassadors as we meet others who are looking for God.

The Orchestration of God

God working with Peter

Israel had always been the chosen people. After the ascension of Jesus Christ, there was no longer a distinction between Jew(Judean) and Gentile. The new church of God began to emerge. It wasn't until Acts 10, however, that this was fully realized, when Peter, a Hebrew was invited to a Gentile home to minister the Word about Jesus Christ. 


In the early records in Acts it is recorded that some of the Judeans (Jews) in Jerusalem were not too happy about all that had occurred in Jerusalem and a persecution of the new Christians started. During the events following the persecution in Acts 7, Peter traveled out from Jerusalem to visit the new Christian Judeans. His travels were filled with the operation of the gift of holy spirit operating all nine evidences of the gift which profited the new believers.

1 Corinthians 12:8-11 For to one (referring to the profit to God’s people) is given by the Spirit (God inspires or energizes each of these listed) the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit (God), dividing to every man severally as he will.

First he traveled to Samaria and helped Philip. These people were half-Judeans (Jews) and not looked upon with great respect by the Judean elite. As God worked in Peter along with John and Philip utilizing all nine of the tools of the spirit, people were set free and in turn were endowed with the same power.

Later we see Peter travel to Lydda where there is a man named Aeneas who was crippled. Aeneas asked for help and Peter explained the real deal about what Jesus Christ had done for his life and he told him to get up! He did! Nothing spooky about it! Just simply explaining what was really true!

Next we read that Peter was called up to Joppa to help a wonderful woman who had died. Peter knew what was available to her in that he had been in almost a similar situation with Jesus Christ when he raised Jarius’ daughter. Great working of miracles and healing resulted because of the dynamics of the gift of holy spirit within Peter. He was able to do that because of God’s tools of word of knowledge and wisdom and believing that he utilized and was strengthened by. Probably all nine of the manifestations of holy spirit were in operation.

Peter stayed in Joppa for a while after that. Interestingly enough, he stayed with Simon the Tanner, a man whose profession of handling dead animals was considered unclean by the Judeans. This shows how Peter was growing past former legalisms and distinctions. God continued to teach him as he moved closer (spiritually, as well as physically) to God’s original intention through the ages (recorded in Acts 10).

Success!

Job was perfect and upright and eschewed evil according to God (Job 1:1, 8, 2:2:3). A lot of challenges hit him all at once but through it all Job maintained his righteousness. (Job 27:5-6) His friends who thought they knew the why's and wherefores became 'miserable comforters' as they tried to dig out sin in Job's life. Job stayed steadfast. He was a good man(God says it 3 times in the first couple of chapters of Job) who didn't deserve all he got, but he didn't condemn himself. He just didn't understand some things. There is an adversary in this world and it was him who tried to take Job out. The adversary is not named directly very many times in the Old Testament but  most of them are here in Job.
What God says about Job in 42:7-11 is very telling.

And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

When adversity hits too often we condemn ourselves and that is unproductive and an impediment. Condemnation keeps us out of the throne room. God is all good and he knows our frame and that is precisely why we have a savior who came to expose destroy the works of the devil( I John 3:8). We have access to the throne room of God.

1 John 3:20-22 For if our ❤ condemn us, God is greater than our ❤, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our ❤ condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Believing is the key to pleasing God. The Message has an interesting version of Hebrews 11:6:

It's impossible to please God apart from faith(believing). And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

Often there are  things that we don't understand.  It is where we go first for the answers that determines the results we get. God is ready willing and able to answer us 'liberally', we just need to ask. How could anything be simpler! God  will direct us to the appropriate path to take. Going to God first in anything, be it finances(lessons in Genesis regarding  Joseph are the cutting edge of financial advisement), health, relationships, goals etc, insures success!

Did God Really Say......?

In Genesis 3, we can read about the greatest deception of all times. In a slinky, slimy move, the oldest deceiver of all times displays his favorite tactic, preying on the desire for truth. “Did God really say?” By complicating the simple truth of God (who, by the way is the originator of truth!) the deceiver got Eve (and Adam too!) to disobey God by doubt. Ole Eve could have summoned God in a minute to have that question answered.  Instead she went for the big ‘?’ and it was downhill from there.

Ever since, the big deception has been “Did God really say?” It is prevalent today all over the world, in the highways and byways of life, in homes, in schools, government, politics and it is especially prevalent in religion. People historically have tried to reinvent the truth along the way by adding, subtracting and changing God’s original intent and Judaism was no exception.

Looking at the apostle Paul’s background in the Judaic traditions and oral law it is quite easy to see how the Hebrew of the Hebrews was significantly deceived and his loyalty to God was misaligned to produce atrocity and persecution to the disciples of Jesus Christ in that day. He was loyal (yes!) committed (yes!), bold (yes!) and yes, he thought what he was doing was right with God and proud of it too!  He was blinded until the light of the revelation of God’s plan through the ages was revealed to him in the life of Jesus Christ and what his life represented, the way to God’s heart.

The loyalty, commitment, and boldness remained in Paul but he got off his ‘high horse’ and humbly accepted the truth of God:

Acts 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the son of God.

This caused quite a stir among his former friends.

Acts 9:23b The Judeans took counsel to kill him.

The Greeks were not much better:

Acts 9:29b they went about to slay him.

He went to Jerusalem and the disciples of Jesus Christ were at first were afraid of him but a wonderful man named Barnabas helped by standing up for him and people heard what had happened to him.

Today the name of Jesus Christ still causes a reaction.  God’s heart in what he accomplished for every believer is beautifully set forth in Paul’s great prayer in Ephesians 1:17-23. (NIV2010)

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

A Soft Heart

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy ❤ with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. 

A tender heart is a powerful asset. It takes diligent effort to keep it that way. Life is full of friction.  Friction causes calluses to form if we don't actively watch over what we allow in our life.

There is a great record in Mark 6:42-54(NIV2010) recording an incident with the disciples shortly after the miraculous feeding of the 5000.

They all ate and were satisfied,  and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he (Jesus Christ) was alone on land.He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their ❤❤ were hardened. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.  As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.

It is hard to believe that after just seeing fish and bread multiply to feed so many people that terror could set in so easily. Fear, worry, doubt, and negative thinking blind hearts to the power of God. Fear and terror are everywhere knocking at the door; it is just the way the world is.

Guarding one's heart is a multifaceted task. It involves identifying, being courageous, not falling into the heresy of secular human love, focusing on giving and helping someone else, communicating honestly and in some cases drawing a line as well as many other actions. Maintaining a daily relationship with God via His Word and utilization of His spiritual tools in the gift of holy spirit, make this job simple and uncomplicated.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine ❤; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Paul

The apostle Paul was a unique individual who actually penned much of the New Testament Word of God in the first century. The book of Acts was recorded by Luke and is a history of the changes that took place as the first century church grew and matured. Paul was a significant contributor to its growth. We read about speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost as well at 4 other instances where people exhibited this manifestation, but it was Paul who revealed the other ways of operating the gift of holy spirit in the church such as interpretation and prophecy and how to correctly conduct fellowship meetings without confusion. This starts in I Corinthians 12:1

Now concerning spiritual gifts (spiritual matters), brethren, I would (strongly desire) not (absolutely not) have you ignorant. 

This means that God does not want us stupid about spiritual things. This expression ‘would not have ye ignorant’ is used 6 times in the New Testament. There are 6 things God wants us to be smart about. These things God is adamant about us knowing:

1. Romans 1:13 (the desire of the gift ministries to bring forth fruit from God)  Men and women will serve as God's ministers in specific areas under the umbrella of reconciling others to God. God knows each individual personally and can utilize an individual's unique abilities and believing to accomplish the ministry of reconciliation.  It is God that energizes ministries on his timetable to whom, about what, where and He gives the increase. God is first and foremost sovereign in our lives. He is the prime mover and energizer. We are not called by a denomination, reformer or saint. Paul was called by God, not by Peter or the Jerusalem church. 

2. Romans 11:25 (mystery of Christ in every believer regardless of Judean or Gentile) It doesn't matter whether you are male or female, old or young, American, Chinese or Russian.

3. I Cor 10:1 (Old Testament legacy of the anticipation of the Messiah) A key to understanding the Old Testament is understanding that the spirit of God was upon certain ones and was conditional. They looked for a day they would receive more.  Today in this administration the gift of holy spirit is in us and we can't lose it. It is by our free will choice whether we utilize it.

4. 1 Cor 12:1(spiritual matters) This includes the gift of holy spirit in every believer, gift ministries, including operations, diversities and administration) All life is spiritual and spiritual knowledge exceeds sense knowledge in clearly understanding life.

5. II Cor 1:8 (commitment under pressure) In chapter 2 Paul says we are not to be ignorant of Satan’s devices. God is our grace and sufficiency. He always provides a way to escape the things in this world that attempt to pull us down by utilizing our spiritual abilities.

6. I Thessalonians 4:13(our hope of the future and eternal life)

God evidently thinks these things are very important and the Pauline epistles fully instruct us on these matters and they are important to be understood.

Reality

On the road to Damascus as recorded in Acts 9, Paul found the 'way'.  The way to God is through His son Jesus Christ and that is exactly who Paul encountered. Jesus Christ is actually the topic of the whole word of God starting way back in Genesis 3:14-15 when God declared there would be a promised seed to counteract the effects of the evil that was introduced into the world at that time:

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Paul hadn't understood the truth about Jesus Christ. He  understood there would be a coming Messiah in true Judaic understanding, but he didn't realize that Jesus was the Christ. It was by God revealing that to him he came to know and accept the person of Jesus Christ and all that he represented.

Up until that time Paul's life was zealously headed in a different direction. By the revelation of Jesus Christ , Paul was introduced to a new way of life that abounded with thankfulness, grace and giving. Webster defines 'reality' as the state of being actual or real. Paul in the change that he underwent found what was real. His life became real.

So many things attempt to define our lives. God is real and he, being in charge of the universe has set the best way. His son was an actual, real human being whose life could have been redefined a number of times. Because he stuck to the plan, we have real life today John 10:10 style:

Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved (kept safe). They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:6-10 NIV2010)

On our path through life, we have choices. Our direction becomes clear when we choose Jesus Christ. Then and only then do the scales drop from our spiritual eyes and reality comes into focus because of the truth God established in His son. No other name can do that for us. He has stood in the gap for us and now we have total access to the Father in that name.