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The End-Time Generation #secondcoming

As I was meditating on the life of John the Baptist in Scripture, it occurred to me that his calling was a lot like ours. He was positioned to minister before the coming of Christ. In the same way, we find ourselves very close to the return of the Lord.

How should we be living, knowing the age that God has placed us in? The calling of John the Baptist should speak to us about it.

“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous– to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Luke 1:17

I’ve come to the realization that he was a man ahead of his time. Scripture tells us that he spent a great amount of time in the wilderness seeking God. When God said go, John became a man on a mission.

As I studied his life and message I came to a startling conclusion. John saw forward not only to the first appearing of Christ, but to the second coming as well.

Do you believe that Jesus is coming soon? If so, then we are the “John the Baptist Generation.” I want to look at John for a few posts to get some insight into who we are and who we must become to fulfill our calling.

The above verse was told to Zechariah by the angel Gabriel. This message foretold who John was to be. His calling was to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. He was to provide a people thoroughly equipped for Christ’s coming.

Our generation must be equipped.

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
2 Timothy 2:20-21

This verse literally says that we must be fully equipped to do any good work. If we want to do the work of God, then we must be equipped for it.

It’s important to realize that equipping relies upon purpose. How you’re equipped depends upon what your purpose is. So in the discussion about preparing us for the return of the Lord, we’re also talking about purpose.

What is your purpose? Why are you doing what you’re doing? John had a clear purpose; to prepare God’s people.

We have no choice in the matter. We’ve been born in the last-days before the coming of Christ. The question is; will we live up to that calling?

Question: Do you believe that Christ is coming soon? In what way does that affect how you live?

1 Comment

Posted by Revzacc on November 6, 2013 in Ministry, Return of Christ

Tags: calling, Christ, coming soon, endtime generation, equipped, Jesus, John the Baptist, mission, prepared, purpose, return, return of Christ, return of the Lord, second coming, second coming of Christ, seeking God, work of God

Have You been Bought Off?

04 Nov

We call Satan “the enemy.” But in many cases, it looks like regular church people have accepted payment from him to ignore the work of God. Are you one of these individuals?

God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
Romans 1:9-10

In this verse, the word serve literally means to serve as a hired menial. So Paul is saying that he considers himself hired by God for a purpose. He understands that there’s a payment, a reward that he will receive from God for a job well done.

How do we handle this? In our modern American culture there’s not a lot of job loyalty anymore. People are constantly keeping their resumes tuned up in case a better position opens up in another company. It’s unfortunate, but this same mindset has spilled over into the church.

Satan tries to capitalize on this thinking.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Matthew 4:8-10

In this verse we see Satan trying to give Christ a better offer. It was promised that the Messiah would one day rule over all the kingdoms of the world. But by God’s way, the Lord would have to suffer and die in agony to receive it.

Satan is giving Christ the chance to bypass all the pain. By a simple act of devotion, He could receive the reward without the pain of the cross. I’m so glad that Jesus saw through the deception, and carried out God’s plan as it was meant to be done.

Satan tries to buy us off all the time. He holds out to us all the pleasures, entertainments, and activities of the world. He tells us to just play with these toys for a little while.

“They’re not sinful, and nobody will be hurt by them.”

But there’s a price that’s being paid. The work of the kingdom is being ignored by a large segment of believers. There are souls not being saved, prisoners not being set free, and lives not being healed. There’s a calling that only you can fulfill.

If you’re looking for a better offer, Satan will give it to you; he just won’t follow through with it. It’s time for the church of Christ to rise to its feet. We must throw off the distractions of the world and complete the assignments that we were call to do.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
Hebrews 12:28

Our wages from the Lord are well worth what we are called to do. We are hired by God for a purpose. Let’s give all and do great things for God!

Questions: How has the enemy tried to buy your time? How have you answered his offer?

1 Comment

Posted by Revzacc on November 4, 2013 in Ministry, The Church

Tags: better offer, better position, bought off, Christ, church people, deception, destiny, have you been bought off, hired by God, ignore, Jesus, loyalty, Messiah, payment, purpose, Satan, serve, serving God, the enemy, work of God

Are You Positioned to Receive Spiritual Power? #powerofthespirit

04 Sep

I’ve been posting about how Christ walked and ministered in the power of God. It’s all about how He positioned Himself to receive it.

A good example of this is found in a parable that the Lord told to His disciples. We usually call it the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector. They were both in the temple praying next to each other. The Lord lets us in on what they were saying.

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
Luke 18:11-12

We read this, but we don’t take it to heart. We know how it ends and who the Lord commends. But do we really listen to the prayer of the Pharisee. If we look closely at it, it sounds like a prayer that a modern Christian would offer up, filled with good confessions.

“I thank you that I’m the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. I thank you that because I tithe you will rebuke the devourer and open the windows of heaven so that I cannot contain your blessing.”

His prayer was filled with good confessions and it was all true. He was different than the tax-collector. He did fast and tithe. The problem was that he had no power.

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Luke 18:13

Which prayer produced life changing power? Christ was clear about it.

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:14

It’s obvious, from the Lord’s perspective, that the person who dealt with relationship tapped into God’s power. The Pharisee was focused on self. The tax-collector was dealing with that which separated him from God.

Is the power of God about what I’ve done or what the Holy Spirit wants to accomplish in and through me? When I go before God, my telling Him what I’ve done doesn’t impress Him. It will never move Him to work through me.

It’s only as I work on my relationship with Christ that I’ll see the changes necessary. If you want to flow in the power of God, then your relationship with Him is the positioning agent. It’s not about what you’ve done, but what He is able to do in you.

Questions: How well are you positioned for the move of the Holy Spirit? What do you need to do to make it better?

Who’s in Control Here? #submittedtoChrist

02 Sep

In my last post I talked about how Christ ministered on a different level than the Pharisees. The power of God flowed out of Him without His control. In the case of the woman with the issue of blood, it was even without the Lord’s knowledge.

Now that’s a definite problem for us in modern day Christianity. We want control. We want to be able to turn it on and off. We want people to know who the power came from.

It seems to me that God wants us to be a hose, and we want to be a faucet. This brings my mind back to a post I wrote months ago. It was about II Timothy 3:5.

This was the verse in which Paul warned us that in the last days there would be those who had a form of godliness but denied the power. If you remember, the Greek word for deny was a-rheo – not flowing.

So many people want to control instead of flow. We cannot have that kind of attitude and be greatly used by God. We must see ourselves as a channel of the Lord’s power, and not a container.

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases…
Luke 9:1

This is the next logical step in this line of thinking. Because the power of God flows, it can be given and received. Jesus was able to give the disciples power because it flowed through Him. This is good news for us also, because we have the same Holy Spirit living in us that Jesus had within Him.

“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.”
Acts 1:8

What a great verse! Power is given by the Holy Spirit and we can receive it. This seems a little too simple for our liking. We try to make it so complicated. So we have come up with all kinds of laws, disciplines, steps, and rituals that we say are necessary in order to walk in this power.

We have placed tithing, confession, and a whole host of other requirements in people’s path. But the truth of the matter is that I must abide in Christ. Then the power will flow through the Holy Spirit to me if I’m in a position to receive it. It’s actually all about positioning ourselves correctly. That’s what a majority of my blog is about.

I’m trying to get the church to reposition itself for revival. That’s where we need to be. In a position to receive the power of the Holy Spirit the same way that Christ did. Then, the world will see the difference and be drawn to the Lord. After all, it’s all about Him, not us.

Question: How would our church look different if we ministered like Jesus?

1 Comment

Posted by Revzacc on September 2, 2013 in Ministry, Power of God, Revival

Tags: Christ, church, control, disciplines, flow, flow in power, flow in the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit within us, in control, Jesus, laws, out of control, position, power, power of God, revival, rituals, steps, submitted to Christ, walking in power

Are You More Like the Pharisees or Jesus? #belikeJesus

30 Aug

I have posted about what happened when the most powerful user of the law (Satan) attacked the most powerful user of the Holy Spirit (Christ). The battle wasn’t even close.

Now I want to relate how Jesus lived and taught about power on a daily basis. The last thing I want is to be in error, trying to defeat the devil on his level. I want to face each battle from a position of strength in the Holy Spirit.

In order to understand this truth, we’ll look at the differences between the Pharisees and Jesus. It’s no secret that the Pharisees walked in the power of the law. But…they were powerless in the spirit, so they were usually jealous of Jesus’ power.

All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!”
Luke 4:36

When Jesus ministered, the people saw something different. He wasn’t like the Pharisees who simply made excuses why people were sick or poor. They would point out people’s sin as the answer for everything. With Jesus, it was a whole different way of ministry.

…and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
Luke 6:19

The people could see the power of God at work through the Lord. It got to the point where they were not even asking Him to touch them any more. They were trying to touch Him. Power was flowing, issuing out, all around Him. They simply had to put their faith in Him to receive this life transforming flow. And that’s exactly what it was – a flow of power.

That’s because power is like a liquid. If the channel is clear, it will move like a river from one person to another. It was for this reason that a woman tried it later on in the Gospel of Luke. As He was with the crowd, suddenly Jesus stopped and turned around.

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
Luke 8:46-47

As I was meditating upon these verses, a very interesting question popped up in my mind. In both Luke 6:19 and Luke 8:46-47 power was flowing out of the Lord. The question is, was Jesus “controlling” the power? According to the verses above, He was not consciously deciding who to pray for. The people were touching Him and the power of God was healing them. He was simply the avenue through which the Holy Spirit worked.

Questions: Do you want to be used of God in this way? Are you willing to walk the same road of relationship with the Father that Jesus walked?

5 Steps to Becoming Addicted to Christ #addictedtoChrist

09 Aug

In my last post I talked about the 5 symptoms of being addicted to ministry for Christ. It was based upon the KJV translation of a verse in I Corinthians.

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
1 Corinthians 16:15

Today I want to talk about the steps that it takes to become addicted. Again, I took them from a pamphlet of the American medical community.

Curiosity causes you to check it out. Sometimes seeing what someone else is doing for Christ will cause you to ask if you’re able to do something similar. You step out in faith and see what happens. After all, we’re encouraged in the Scripture to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Comparing your life with Christ to your life without Him. How has the Lord changed you? If you’re like most people, then you can look back on a life of death, sorrow, worry, and guilt. Now, in Christ, your path should be marked with life, joy, faith, and freedom.

You develop a taste for it. Most of the things that cause addictions start out tasting horrible. It’s only after people get used to it that they get “hooked.” It’s the same with the ministry. Sometimes it’s hard working with people. But as you get used to it, and especially the rewards of seeing changed lives, it gets better. Pretty soon it becomes normal. Experts tell us that it takes about a month for a habit to develop.

You start to become uncomfortable when it’s taken away (withdrawal). Being a blessing to others causes you to become a giver. When that happens, you have to draw on the sufficiency of Christ. If something happens to stop the process, you feel like something’s missing.

As problems increase, your usage increases. It’s easy to tell when someone is in the final stages of a “Christ addiction.” When the normal believer faces a crisis – the loss of a job or a loved one – you don’t see them around for a while. After all, they need time to sort things out.

Addicted people are different. During times of crisis or turmoil you find them seeking more fellowship, prayer, or worship. Their goal is use the strength of the Lord and His church to get them through the tough times.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Psalms 42:1-2

David understood the concept. In my estimation, an addiction to Christ is the best thing you could ever experience. It becomes your strength in weakness and your channel of blessing. It will keep your walk with God from becoming stale or stagnant.

Cultivate this holy addiction!

Question: What’s your strategy to developing an addiction to Christ?

Are You Addicted to the Ministry? 5 Symptoms

07 Aug

I normally don’t use the KJV in my posts, but this verse gives me a lot to think about.

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
1 Corinthians 16:15

What was it about Stephanas and his family that caused Paul to describe them as addicted?

I looked up some facts, not from Christian sources, but from the American medical community. How do they describe addiction? You may think you’re “all in” for the Lord. How does what these doctors say stack up to your experience?

You need an increased level to maintain the feeling. Are you feeling tired and burned out by what you do for God? Or are you hungering to go deeper with Him? Addiction means that the amount you’re doing now doesn’t satisfy you the way it used to. You want more, greater, and higher dosages in order to stay fulfilled. I believe that’s the excitement of the ministry.

You are obsessed with the ministry. What’s your thought life like? When you’re not actively involved in your calling, are you still thinking about it? Addiction means that it’s constantly in the back of your mind. You continually think about ways to improve and increase what you’re doing for the Lord.

Even in recreation times, a thought, word, or something you see will trigger an image of what you could be doing to further the Kingdom. Thinking about it is uncontrollable.

You are continually sneaking “quickies” throughout the day. Addiction to the ministry is a lifestyle. Do you find yourself sharing about Jesus at the mall, school or workplace? Are you prone to spontaneously be a blessing to people around you, simply for the enjoyment of it? Maybe you find yourself praying for people as soon as you hear about their need. This is a sign of an addiction to Christ and His ministry.

You undergo a change in your appearance. Does the knowledge that you represent Christ change how you present yourself to others? Does the fact that you’re God’s ambassador to the world make a difference in how you live? The more we become addicted, the more radical the change. How much has your ministry affected you?

You are in “denial” – you continue deeper even though others may argue against it. Some people may say that you’re doing too much for God. After all, look at the lifestyle of most believers. “God will let you get away with a lot less commitment.” Arguments like these don’t even faze you. You want to touch as many people as you can for the Gospel.

You may like to think that you’re addicted – after all, it sounds good. But the truth is, unless you’ve come to the place I’ve just described, it’s only wishful thinking. Hey, don’t get mad at me – this is what the American medical community says about it.

If you find that you’re not addicted and you want to be – my next post will be about the 5 steps to becoming addicted!

Question: How has addiction to the ministry affected your life?

2 Comments

Posted by Revzacc on August 7, 2013 in Encouragement, Ministry

Tags: addicted to the ministry, addiction, addiction to Christ, argument, change, Christ, deeper, denial, excitement, God's ambassador, hunger, improve, increase, Jesus, lifestyle, medical community, ministry, obsessed, praying, radical, represent Christ, sharing about Jesus

The Spirit and the Word

Category Archives: Ministry

The End-Time Generation #secondcoming

Have You been Bought Off?

Are You Positioned to Receive Spiritual Power? #powerofthespirit

Who’s in Control Here? #submittedtoChrist

Are You More Like the Pharisees or Jesus? #belikeJesus

5 Steps to Becoming Addicted to Christ #addictedtoChrist

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