"prodigal": characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure; lavish.
The Gospel of Luke 15:11-32
This is a profound story of the love of the Father for his sons. This is a contrast between two personalities; one faithful elder son and the other, a younger son, who is frivolous and cavalier. Jesus paints a vivid picture of the relationship of mankind as we ask for our "stuff: from God before we are ready (spiritually mature enough) to receive it.
When you peel away the onion, you uncover the haughty sense of entitlement from the younger son who demanded his inheritance before the fullness of time and set off to explore new horizons. This saddened the father, even though the older son remained home and served him working the fields building on his financial legacy.
How many of us are in the same boat? What void are you seeking to fill in your own life? What conflicts need to be resolved between you and your father (on earth) or your Father (in heaven)?
The younger son became consumed with himself and over indulgence of wine, women and song. After he wasted his entire fortune on sinful behavior, he was forced to work for a local citizen slopping his hogs. He even had to live among them and eat the scraps that the pigs ate. Think about that for a moment. Can you imagine the humiliation to have fallen so far as to have to battle hogs for scraps of food? This is a type and shadow of the life of a man that leaves the spiritual covering of his father in pursuit of worldly things. In the end, there is nothing but heartache and grief.
When the man comes to himself, he reflects on the goodness of his father and the peace of mind, love and protection he provided him. So he then sets out on his way back home. Avoiding loneliness and despair, he is energized because he is heading back to the strong, loving arms of his father.
When the father sees the younger son coming down the road to the house, he sprints to meet him before he gets to the house, welcomes him with open arms, prepares a fatted calf, dresses him in the finest robes and sandals and throws a party in honor of his return. When the elder son returns from the fields, he is angry and confronts his father. The older son exclaimed, "I never left you and remained here to work your fields and you never so much as gave me baby goat or a party."
The father looks at the older son and says, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." Verse 31 in Luke 15, holds the key to the revelation of the power of "Son-ship" between God and His kids. Notice the the word "son" is in lower case throughout this parable until verse 31 where the word "son" changes to "Son." The Upper case "S" signifies a spiritual connection to Christ as "Son" of God and the sacrificial lamb for our access to eternal fellowship with the Father.
It is the heart of the Father that none should perish, but the choice is yours. Those sons that stray from Me are dead and not alive; lost and not found. But I rejoice in the fact that My Son has come home; he is alive and not dead and was lost but now is found!"
"Although there are many in My House, it's still empty without My Prodigal son."
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
"The Character of a MAN God Uses!"
It is imperative that every Believer continually conduct a "Spiritual Assessment" of his relationship with the Holy Spirit. David asked these questions of the LORD, "Who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?"
The LORD then answers,
"He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart;
He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend." (Psalm 15)
The character that pleases God is rooted and grounded in obedience and faithfulness. It is critical for the man who is seeking after the heart of God to be steadfast in his intentions to submit to the will and authority of the Father.
The man then reconciles himself to becoming a "bride of Christ" in spirit and truth. But it is noteworthy that the man, in addition to becoming a bride, has now ascended to the role of husband. No more boyhood, adolescence or young adulthood; He is now fully engaged in the realm of manhood. As a bride, the man submits to the Father. He dies to his personal desires and replaces them with the desires of the Father. If the man knows the desires of the Father, this is good news!
The courtship has now passed and the man immerses himself into the role of the bride; learning and studying all that the HS has to teach him. The man ascends to the role of servant. He is being conforming into the image of Christ! That is good news. The man knows that the time is coming fast when he will be required to teach his bride how to become a wife. He can only perform this act skillfully because of his apprenticeship sitting at the feet of Jesus in the court of the Lord watching, listening and learning.
The husband/man is a profound student of the Word of God (logos). He studies, meditates, absorbs and then applies what has been poured into Him by the Spirit of Truth. The encounter with the HS is a life changing event! This walk is not about perfection, but submission and completion.
This same man hates his sin. The Believer must hate his sin. When the Believer truly hates his sin, this is when he can surely be "A Man God Uses."
The LORD then answers,
"He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart;
He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend." (Psalm 15)
The character that pleases God is rooted and grounded in obedience and faithfulness. It is critical for the man who is seeking after the heart of God to be steadfast in his intentions to submit to the will and authority of the Father.
The man then reconciles himself to becoming a "bride of Christ" in spirit and truth. But it is noteworthy that the man, in addition to becoming a bride, has now ascended to the role of husband. No more boyhood, adolescence or young adulthood; He is now fully engaged in the realm of manhood. As a bride, the man submits to the Father. He dies to his personal desires and replaces them with the desires of the Father. If the man knows the desires of the Father, this is good news!
The courtship has now passed and the man immerses himself into the role of the bride; learning and studying all that the HS has to teach him. The man ascends to the role of servant. He is being conforming into the image of Christ! That is good news. The man knows that the time is coming fast when he will be required to teach his bride how to become a wife. He can only perform this act skillfully because of his apprenticeship sitting at the feet of Jesus in the court of the Lord watching, listening and learning.
The husband/man is a profound student of the Word of God (logos). He studies, meditates, absorbs and then applies what has been poured into Him by the Spirit of Truth. The encounter with the HS is a life changing event! This walk is not about perfection, but submission and completion.
This same man hates his sin. The Believer must hate his sin. When the Believer truly hates his sin, this is when he can surely be "A Man God Uses."
Friday, April 10, 2015
"Be STILL and KNOW That I AM GOD!"
"Be still and know that I Am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10
What an amazing declaration from the Lord God! He has given definitive pronouncement that He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth realm. It is critical to both know and understand that He is God alone and that He sits on the Throne of Grace and Mercy as well as the Throne of Judgement.
He directs His children to be "still" (damam; #H1826) which means to be silent; to be dumbstruck and/or to die (to one's own selfish desires). It also means to cut off, cut down rest, cease, (be at) peace, tarry and wait.
Wow! That's an awful lot of revelation from one single word. God's directive for us to be silent is indicative of the fact that we, as humans, talk too much! You know Brother James in his Epistle (3:1-12) gives us an unparalleled description that the "tongue" cannot be tamed without the Believer's submission to the authority and power of the Holy Spirit.
That same Spirit directs us to cut off any weight (person, place or thing) that would derail us in our walk of righteousness. He compels us to cut down the barriers of fear and complacency. He urges us to rest in His bosom and to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. He warns us to cease from sinful activities in our lives. The Lord God compels us to be at peace in Him, His Way, His Truth and His Life.
Being still does not always mean that we are not to do anything. In one sense, God implores us to tarry (stay engaged in the marketplace by serving God's people). In Him, we live and move and have our being. His desire is for us to reflect His glory in the earth by transferring His Spirit to others we serve.
Finally, the Lord God tells us to just wait. One of my favorite scriptures in the Word is Isaiah 40:31, "...But they that wait on the Lord, (shall) renew their strength; They (shall) mount up on wings like eagles, They (shall) run and not be weary, They (shall) walk and do not not faint."
The word "shall" was added to the lexicon of the Bible to make its translation easier to read and more fluid to understand. However, if you read this same scripture without the word "shall," it removes the future tense of the word and amplifies the "immediacy" of results when we wait on the Lord. "But they that wait on the Lord renew their strength (immediately); they mount up on wings like eagles (right away); they run and are not weary (right now) and they walk and do not faint (straight away)."
This is how we KNOW that He Is God; when we are STILL! Selah...
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10
What an amazing declaration from the Lord God! He has given definitive pronouncement that He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth realm. It is critical to both know and understand that He is God alone and that He sits on the Throne of Grace and Mercy as well as the Throne of Judgement.
He directs His children to be "still" (damam; #H1826) which means to be silent; to be dumbstruck and/or to die (to one's own selfish desires). It also means to cut off, cut down rest, cease, (be at) peace, tarry and wait.
Wow! That's an awful lot of revelation from one single word. God's directive for us to be silent is indicative of the fact that we, as humans, talk too much! You know Brother James in his Epistle (3:1-12) gives us an unparalleled description that the "tongue" cannot be tamed without the Believer's submission to the authority and power of the Holy Spirit.
That same Spirit directs us to cut off any weight (person, place or thing) that would derail us in our walk of righteousness. He compels us to cut down the barriers of fear and complacency. He urges us to rest in His bosom and to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. He warns us to cease from sinful activities in our lives. The Lord God compels us to be at peace in Him, His Way, His Truth and His Life.
Being still does not always mean that we are not to do anything. In one sense, God implores us to tarry (stay engaged in the marketplace by serving God's people). In Him, we live and move and have our being. His desire is for us to reflect His glory in the earth by transferring His Spirit to others we serve.
Finally, the Lord God tells us to just wait. One of my favorite scriptures in the Word is Isaiah 40:31, "...But they that wait on the Lord, (shall) renew their strength; They (shall) mount up on wings like eagles, They (shall) run and not be weary, They (shall) walk and do not not faint."
The word "shall" was added to the lexicon of the Bible to make its translation easier to read and more fluid to understand. However, if you read this same scripture without the word "shall," it removes the future tense of the word and amplifies the "immediacy" of results when we wait on the Lord. "But they that wait on the Lord renew their strength (immediately); they mount up on wings like eagles (right away); they run and are not weary (right now) and they walk and do not faint (straight away)."
This is how we KNOW that He Is God; when we are STILL! Selah...
Monday, April 6, 2015
"The Origins of EASTER & The Resurrection of CHRIST!"
The most difficult thing to digest about the revelation of profound truth is the earth shaking prospect that you have believed something for so long and come to find out that it has all been a lie. It is particularly unnerving when it comes to the things of God! You ask yourself, "How could I have not known this? Why didn't the Pastor ever teach us this or teach us that? Why didn't I check it out for myself? How do I recover from believing a falsehood for so long? Easy...receive it and keep it movin'!
The hard truth is that Easter has absolutely nothing to do with the Resurrection of Christ! Jesus didn't die on Good Friday and He wasn't Resurrected on Sunday morning!
My pathway to truth has led me to some difficult places. It is not popular to challenge the existing paradigms of any institution; particularly religion. People are sensitive and protective about the things they hold sacred; whether they are true or not.
The origins of Easter are deeply connected to pagan religions and idolatry and did NOT originate with the resurrection of Jesus. Eostre (Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring); Eostur (Norse word for the spring season); Ishtar (ancient spring goddess of Near Eastern countries) also known as Ashtoreth (in the Bible) are all connected to the spring season and springtime fertility festivals from "pagan" religions.
How we got to Sunday worship:
Early Christians staunchly observed the same laws and religious celebrations as the Jews. Consequently, due to the persecution received by the Jews from the Romans, the Christians defected from Saturday (7th day of the week) worship to "Sun" day (1st day of the week) worship (the Romans worshipped the Sun God) and that is why Christians go to Sunday service today.
The Truth about the Crucifixion, Good Friday & the Resurrection:
The Four Gospels detail the journey and timeline of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus. The main point of confusion is rooted in the translation of the word "Sabbath." During the Festival of the Unleavened Bread (FUB) which marked the renouncing of sin for seven days in the OT, there were "two sabbaths" (an annual Sabbath attributed to the FUB and a weekly Sabbath attributed to the Law).
The Greek word for sabbath (sabbaton: #4521; the "interval" between two sabbaths) was translated in a singular text when in actuality it should have been translated in plural text. The word clearly states that it is an interval or period of time between two Sabbaths.
This would mean that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday at 9am and died around 3pm on Nisan 14 (the "Day of Preparation"...John 19:31) the historical observance of the Passover under Jewish Law) before the annual "High-Day Sabbath" (Exodus 12:16; Lev. 23:6-7) which coincides with the first day of the FUB (Thursday). Accordingly, Jesus' body was placed in Joseph's tomb just before sunset on Wednesday (Luke 23:54).
(Luke 23:56) shows that the women, after seeing Jesus' body being laid in the tomb before the High Day Sabbath began, returned with fragrant spices and oils to prepare His body. This work could ONLY have been done on Friday, because it would have been a violation of the Law to do any work on Saturday. (Mark 16:1) validates this point. This conclusively proves that the Sabbath mentioned in the scriptures was the first Holy Day of the FUB (Lev. 23:4-8) which in A.D. 31, fell on a Thursday. The women had to wait until the High Day Sabbath was over before they could buy and prepare the spices and oils to anoint Jesus' body.
After these activities, they rested on the Sabbath (Saturday) according to the commandment (Luke 23:56). After the rest, the women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week (Sunday) while it was still dark (John 20:1) and found that He had already been resurrected (Matt. 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6); Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1). Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene early Sunday morning having already been resurrected on Saturday evening in accordance with the prophecy He gave the scribes and Pharisees in (Matt. 12:38-40) ... "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Three days and three nights is 72 hours any way you look at it. Friday night to Sunday morning is 36 hours any way you slice it. It's just math! Every word that Jesus spoke was true. He could not lie. Therefore, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are myths perpetuated by an adulterous generation of lazy Christians unwillingly to let go of their man-made traditions in lieu of the unadulterated TRUTH!
The FUB helps Believers to focus on renouncing their sin. It makes total sense for Jesus to have been the Passover sacrifice for mankind. He is the "manna" that sustained the Jews in the desert. He is the Bread of Life (John 6:48). He was born in Bethlehem (House of "bread"). "Leaven" is sin. Jesus was "unleavened" Bread or "sinless" Bread. This festival was always about Him! He is the "perfection" of the FUB in that His resurrection was the 6th (God's number for "mankind") great event to occur during the FUB:
The hard truth is that Easter has absolutely nothing to do with the Resurrection of Christ! Jesus didn't die on Good Friday and He wasn't Resurrected on Sunday morning!
My pathway to truth has led me to some difficult places. It is not popular to challenge the existing paradigms of any institution; particularly religion. People are sensitive and protective about the things they hold sacred; whether they are true or not.
The origins of Easter are deeply connected to pagan religions and idolatry and did NOT originate with the resurrection of Jesus. Eostre (Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring); Eostur (Norse word for the spring season); Ishtar (ancient spring goddess of Near Eastern countries) also known as Ashtoreth (in the Bible) are all connected to the spring season and springtime fertility festivals from "pagan" religions.
How we got to Sunday worship:
Early Christians staunchly observed the same laws and religious celebrations as the Jews. Consequently, due to the persecution received by the Jews from the Romans, the Christians defected from Saturday (7th day of the week) worship to "Sun" day (1st day of the week) worship (the Romans worshipped the Sun God) and that is why Christians go to Sunday service today.
The Truth about the Crucifixion, Good Friday & the Resurrection:
The Four Gospels detail the journey and timeline of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus. The main point of confusion is rooted in the translation of the word "Sabbath." During the Festival of the Unleavened Bread (FUB) which marked the renouncing of sin for seven days in the OT, there were "two sabbaths" (an annual Sabbath attributed to the FUB and a weekly Sabbath attributed to the Law).
The Greek word for sabbath (sabbaton: #4521; the "interval" between two sabbaths) was translated in a singular text when in actuality it should have been translated in plural text. The word clearly states that it is an interval or period of time between two Sabbaths.
This would mean that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday at 9am and died around 3pm on Nisan 14 (the "Day of Preparation"...John 19:31) the historical observance of the Passover under Jewish Law) before the annual "High-Day Sabbath" (Exodus 12:16; Lev. 23:6-7) which coincides with the first day of the FUB (Thursday). Accordingly, Jesus' body was placed in Joseph's tomb just before sunset on Wednesday (Luke 23:54).
(Luke 23:56) shows that the women, after seeing Jesus' body being laid in the tomb before the High Day Sabbath began, returned with fragrant spices and oils to prepare His body. This work could ONLY have been done on Friday, because it would have been a violation of the Law to do any work on Saturday. (Mark 16:1) validates this point. This conclusively proves that the Sabbath mentioned in the scriptures was the first Holy Day of the FUB (Lev. 23:4-8) which in A.D. 31, fell on a Thursday. The women had to wait until the High Day Sabbath was over before they could buy and prepare the spices and oils to anoint Jesus' body.
After these activities, they rested on the Sabbath (Saturday) according to the commandment (Luke 23:56). After the rest, the women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week (Sunday) while it was still dark (John 20:1) and found that He had already been resurrected (Matt. 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6); Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1). Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene early Sunday morning having already been resurrected on Saturday evening in accordance with the prophecy He gave the scribes and Pharisees in (Matt. 12:38-40) ... "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Three days and three nights is 72 hours any way you look at it. Friday night to Sunday morning is 36 hours any way you slice it. It's just math! Every word that Jesus spoke was true. He could not lie. Therefore, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are myths perpetuated by an adulterous generation of lazy Christians unwillingly to let go of their man-made traditions in lieu of the unadulterated TRUTH!
The FUB helps Believers to focus on renouncing their sin. It makes total sense for Jesus to have been the Passover sacrifice for mankind. He is the "manna" that sustained the Jews in the desert. He is the Bread of Life (John 6:48). He was born in Bethlehem (House of "bread"). "Leaven" is sin. Jesus was "unleavened" Bread or "sinless" Bread. This festival was always about Him! He is the "perfection" of the FUB in that His resurrection was the 6th (God's number for "mankind") great event to occur during the FUB:
- Exodus from slavery in Egypt immediately after Passover during FUB (Numb. 33:3)
- Crossing of the Red Sea (last day of the FUB)
- Conquest of Jericho (during the FUB)
- Re dedication of of Jews back to God (under King Hezekiah; 2 Chron. 29-31)
- Re dedication of of Jews back to God (under King Josiah; 2 Chron. 34-35)
- Resuurection of Christ (sunset on Saturday during the FUB)
Isn't it the absolute character of God to do something as belligerent as "resurrecting" Christ from the grave on the Sabbath? This had to infuriate the religious hypocrites of the day!
Unfortunately, this truth is meaningless if it is not applied. The carnal man will continue in the comfort of ignorance and blissful defiance to the revelation of truth in God's Word. He believes there is no accountability in ignorance.
Now that you know, what are you going to do? I exhort you to study this revelation for yourself and come to you own conclusion. At the end of the day, the sad truth is that "people will believe what they want to believe no matter how compelling the evidence may be to the contrary!" Selah
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