"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent', you shall forgive him." (Luke 17:3-10)
As a result of those Words, the apostles asked Jesus to "increase our faith". They knew instantly that their faith did not include the ability to forgive seven times in a day. They knew they were lacking in that area. They knew that if someone sinned against them seven times in a day, the offense brought by the same would be more than they could overcome. The roots of offense can grow deep into the soul.
Jesus says, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Mustard seed faith is faith to BEGIN! If you have faith to begin- a desire to act upon what Jesus reveals to us as the will of the Father- the desired end will be yours. I asked the Lord the significance of the mulberry tree. Some time later a TV evangelist said that the roots of the mulberry tree run deep into the ground. So, even though the roots of offense run deep, faith to begin to remove that offense from your heart will succeed if you understand that offense is there and want it removed!
Say to the this mulberry tree (the deep roots of offense), "Be pulled up by the roots and planted in the sea(covered over by the blood of Jesus Christ; just as the Father forgets our falling short of His grace; as far as the east is from the west) and it would obey you!
Take heed to yourselves. Will you ask Him to show you how to forgive in this manner, just as the Father forgives us upon approach?
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tithes and Offerings
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings." (Malachi 3:8)
Offering/offerings are listed hundreds of times in the Old Testament yet only 14 times in the New Testament. In context, offerings were made as a sacrifice for sins. The Old Testament saints offered their material goods because the Law required them to do so as a price for sins.
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14-18) "Now where there is remission (forgiveness of sins and lawless deeds) of these, there is no longer an offering for sin". "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come- in the volume of the book it is written of Me- to do your will, O God.' " (Hebrews 10:5-7)
So, what offering does God want from us (the church)? Paul said, "that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the OFFERING OF THE GENTILES might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:16)
"....that they may offer to the Lord an OFFERING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord,"(Malachi 3:3,4).
Since the Old Testament saints "robbed" God by offering defiled food on His altar (blind, lame and sick animals in Malachi 1:7,8), let us present ourselves willingly to do His Word and will. They robbed God by holding back the best for themselves. They robbed God by binding His hands to give to them what obedience brings- experiencing the fullness of who He is, now to us in Christ Jesus!
We should resist the temptation in our souls to offer less than what He is requesting from us. Jesus said, "so likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."(Luke 14:33)
The OFFERING is you in Christ Jesus!
Offering/offerings are listed hundreds of times in the Old Testament yet only 14 times in the New Testament. In context, offerings were made as a sacrifice for sins. The Old Testament saints offered their material goods because the Law required them to do so as a price for sins.
"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14-18) "Now where there is remission (forgiveness of sins and lawless deeds) of these, there is no longer an offering for sin". "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come- in the volume of the book it is written of Me- to do your will, O God.' " (Hebrews 10:5-7)
So, what offering does God want from us (the church)? Paul said, "that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the OFFERING OF THE GENTILES might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:16)
"....that they may offer to the Lord an OFFERING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord,"(Malachi 3:3,4).
Since the Old Testament saints "robbed" God by offering defiled food on His altar (blind, lame and sick animals in Malachi 1:7,8), let us present ourselves willingly to do His Word and will. They robbed God by holding back the best for themselves. They robbed God by binding His hands to give to them what obedience brings- experiencing the fullness of who He is, now to us in Christ Jesus!
We should resist the temptation in our souls to offer less than what He is requesting from us. Jesus said, "so likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."(Luke 14:33)
The OFFERING is you in Christ Jesus!
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
14,15 For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them, and to one he gave five talents, to another one two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability and immediately he went on a journey.
We understand, in this parable, that talents are a form of currency and the amount distributed to each was determined by the holder of the talents.
In verses 16-23, the servants then made decisions as to what they would do with those talents. Two of the servants made decisions and took actions that doubled their master's holdings. Each of those two received praise from the master (the master is not Jesus nor the Father as no capitalization is used) and a promise that they would be made ruler over many things (because they had been faithful in their enterprises over fewer things) and the joy of their lord would be with them.
In Matthew 25 verses 24-28, the remaining servant did nothing with the talent given him and began to attribute to his master things that the others did not see or chose not to allow them to keep them from doing what was right in the sight of that master. Because he was afraid, he went and hid the talent and simply returned it to that master- he had wasted the opportunity to do something with it.
Verse 29 is the summarization of this parable. The verse reads as an advertisement for the Occupy Wall Street movement- the "Have's" get more and the "Have not's" get what little they had taken away. Was Jesus speaking about money? The parable describes the servant who was given one talent as not just lazy but wicked (could that servant's actions be the result of his receiving one versus two/five?).
For to everyone who HAS more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not HAVE, even what he HAS will be taken away.
It is my understanding that "having" or "having not" in this context speaks directly to the willingness/desire to press into what God has made real to each of us, individually, about His Kingdom. "Having" begins with a revelation of Jesus Christ as Saviour. The individual realizes within the conviction by the Holy Spirit and acts on it- approaches in church or outside church to receive the God's salvation in Christ Jesus. He/she understood the revelation and knew exactly what to do. "Having not" would be the unwillingness to, after having heard/understood, take appropriate action in Christ Jesus. It is the difference between believing and unbelief. What the wicked/lazy servant HAS is the measure of faith that God has given to every living soul. When we hear, He EXPECTS us to receive/obey. Ultimately, even that measure of faith will be taken away from the wicked/lazy(unbelieving) individual if they persist in wickedness, rejecting righteousness.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, WHICH ALSO YOU RECEIVED AND IN WHICH YOU STAND, by which also you also you are saved, if you HOLD FAST that word which I preached to you- unless you believed in vain.
Each of us has a measure of faith. Let's make sure we are not wicked and lazy as God reveals Himself to us- be righteous and labor to do what His word says to do and the inspiration of His will!
We understand, in this parable, that talents are a form of currency and the amount distributed to each was determined by the holder of the talents.
In verses 16-23, the servants then made decisions as to what they would do with those talents. Two of the servants made decisions and took actions that doubled their master's holdings. Each of those two received praise from the master (the master is not Jesus nor the Father as no capitalization is used) and a promise that they would be made ruler over many things (because they had been faithful in their enterprises over fewer things) and the joy of their lord would be with them.
In Matthew 25 verses 24-28, the remaining servant did nothing with the talent given him and began to attribute to his master things that the others did not see or chose not to allow them to keep them from doing what was right in the sight of that master. Because he was afraid, he went and hid the talent and simply returned it to that master- he had wasted the opportunity to do something with it.
Verse 29 is the summarization of this parable. The verse reads as an advertisement for the Occupy Wall Street movement- the "Have's" get more and the "Have not's" get what little they had taken away. Was Jesus speaking about money? The parable describes the servant who was given one talent as not just lazy but wicked (could that servant's actions be the result of his receiving one versus two/five?).
For to everyone who HAS more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not HAVE, even what he HAS will be taken away.
It is my understanding that "having" or "having not" in this context speaks directly to the willingness/desire to press into what God has made real to each of us, individually, about His Kingdom. "Having" begins with a revelation of Jesus Christ as Saviour. The individual realizes within the conviction by the Holy Spirit and acts on it- approaches in church or outside church to receive the God's salvation in Christ Jesus. He/she understood the revelation and knew exactly what to do. "Having not" would be the unwillingness to, after having heard/understood, take appropriate action in Christ Jesus. It is the difference between believing and unbelief. What the wicked/lazy servant HAS is the measure of faith that God has given to every living soul. When we hear, He EXPECTS us to receive/obey. Ultimately, even that measure of faith will be taken away from the wicked/lazy(unbelieving) individual if they persist in wickedness, rejecting righteousness.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, WHICH ALSO YOU RECEIVED AND IN WHICH YOU STAND, by which also you also you are saved, if you HOLD FAST that word which I preached to you- unless you believed in vain.
Each of us has a measure of faith. Let's make sure we are not wicked and lazy as God reveals Himself to us- be righteous and labor to do what His word says to do and the inspiration of His will!
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