Seeing the Hidden Things

Seeing the Hidden Things

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. (Luke 10:21)

The knowledge of God is not an intellectual accomplishment, nor is it a matter of merit, but one of privilege – a sovereign choice of God to reveal Himself as He sees fit and to whom He wills. No amount of effort or study can prepare you for this epiphany, no money can purchase it, nor can pedigree or degree fetch it. In fact God uses that which we consider foolish to confound the wise, and He prefers the lowly and humble to the exalted. He values the meek and gentle over the forceful, and He reserves His best for those who approach Him as paupers rather than princes . . .

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 5:3

We rise to the highest estate when we fall to our knees, and we know the most when we forsake all we’ve learned and simply hear Him. It is God’s good pleasure to give us the Holy Spirit when we simply ask, seek and knock. And when we seek Him first, all we would work for is given to us. This is the peace beyond understanding only the children of the King enjoy. Are you simple and small enough to be blessed? Are you insignificant enough to be great? Empty enough to be filled? This is what God requires before He reveals Himself to you.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matt 5:6

Love and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric

Being Filled and Led By the Spirit

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times.  (Acts10: 13-16a)

Receiving the Holy Spirit is a great thing, but it’s only the beginning of the story. Peter had been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and now God was teaching him to walk in the Spirit. The Lord Jesus was asking him to do something he would otherwise never do – go preach to the dreaded Gentiles. Jews of the day didn’t even speak to Gentiles. What a difficult thing it must have been for Peter to obey when he had no understanding of what the Lord was after!     

One of the earmarks of a Spirit-filled believer is God working through him or her in ways never imagined.  If we are truly Spirit-filled, we are responding to God’s call to go where we would not have gone, love those we once felt nothing for, forgive those who hurt us most, and give that we would keep.  That’s when the Holy Spirit is having His way with us. God sent Peter, a Jew, to a place he would never have gone, to minister the Gospel to people he didn’t think God even cared about. Peter’s obedience would make a way for those lost in ignorance and sin to enter into the Kingdom of God, because he allowed the Spirit Who filled him to also direct him.

I encourage you to trust God more than your feelings or experiences, like Peter did. Peter simply obeyed God. You, too, must obey Him - even when He takes you through new and uncomfortable challenges. He is an exceedingly good God who will perfect and prepare you to do all He asks of you, through the Spirit Who fills you. Learn the lesson Peter learned – if you will let God change your mind, He will use you to change your world.

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric

Revelation

Revelation – When Jesus Calls My Name

Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). John 20:14-16

Jesus had become the central figure in Mary’s world, yet she still understood so little of Him. She knew Jesus – so she thought. She had been with Him, watched Him, served Him, followed Him, and deeply loved Him. Yes, Mary knew Jesus better than most, but that knowledge was so limited that she didn’t recognize Him though He stood right in front of her . . . “and [she] did not know that it was Jesus.”  Mary’s knowledge was built on familiarity and experience, and that’s true of most of us today. And, just like Mary, there is something lacking our in knowledge of who Jesus really is.

There is a deeper level of knowing the Lord reserved for those desperate for His abiding presence – those of us who hunger and thirst for a more personal and authentic relationship with God. We don’t see Him at first, but He sees us - Jesus said to her, “Mary”. Once we hear our name on His lips, we are never the same. She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!”  Now we see the One who sees us. This is the point where our knowledge of Him becomes something greater; it becomes revelation.

The term “revelation” means unveiling. Therefore it is perfectly possible to possess knowledge, yet totally miss the true nature of a matter altogether. God is determined that our knowledge of His Son progress beyond an intellectual acknowledgment of the historical Jesus – that He was simply a great teacher, a martyr, a great man, and a prophet. The Holy Spirit will not stop until we come to see Christ for ALL He is – God, Lord, and our personal Savior! This is the unveiling He does in our hearts when we earnestly seek Him. He comes to us and calls us by name, bringing us into the most intimate personal relationship – oneness! Search for Him and listen closely. You’ll hear Him calling your name.

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric 

On Love

On Love

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Love is the quintessential characteristic of the Kingdom of God. The Bible teaches us God is love, that God loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us, that the love we show is the proof we are His, and that love never fails to accomplish His will. 

It a fantastic thing that God doesn't leave us alone to struggle with the challenge to love in our own strength, but the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who is given to us by God (Romans 5:5)! We are commanded to love as Christ loves, and to forgive because Christ loves and forgives us, and we the power to do those things dwells in us.

To be sure, there will be many offenses, slights, hurts, and attacks that are sent our way by the enemy of our souls. These are meant to plant a seed of bitterness and mistrust in our hearts which makes us withhold love, and we can become cold to others without even realizing it. But God trusts us with these trials to give us the opportunity to forgive and love, just as He has done for us. When we pass the test of loving those who hurt us, we are perfected in His love, and we are the light of the world we're called to be.

So be encouraged. Go back to that person or situation which the Spirit has already brought to your mind.  Confess the sin of cold love, and be cleansed and strengthened to love again by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The joy of the Lord will flood your soul, and you will be set free once again to do the perfect will of your Father and to love your neighbor as yourself!

Love and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric

The Wonder and Meaning of Christmas

The Wonder and Meaning of Christmas

The Biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ is the greatest story ever told. It has greater ramifications than any other event in history – even greater than creation itself, as creation and all therein is the work of His hands. No one can concoct a story so sweet and simple, yet so majestic and consequential. Jesus represents the fullness of all that God is and loves. Yet in this story, we see the awesome Prince of Heaven subjected to the meanest of earthly circumstances. We witness the greatest humiliation imaginable, as the Son of God Himself takes on the likeness of an infant – an infant whose parents do not even rate a decent room at the local Bethlehem Inn! A barn or a cave sufficed as the hospital room where the King of the Universe was born, and a crate filled with straw meant for feeding cattle was His crib. The little King was wrapped in strips of rags, as the Most High and Most Worthy gladly became the least of these.

And so this story illustrates the most poignant and stunning display of agape that only God in His infinite wisdom can give. We do well to turn our faces away from the world and its obsession with the worthless, and to gaze upon the beauty of the Bible’s revelation of Christmas and its true meaning. May each of us find ourselves in the holy narrative, as the Christ child truly came for every one of us who hears the message today, and His birth should be celebrated with the same blessed thanks, wonder, and expectation of the angels who proclaimed His coming some 2000 years ago!

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14)

Evangelism and the Supermarket

Evangelism and the Supermarket

Ministry is not something you spend a great deal of time talking about. It is service - something you do. The fields are always ripe for harvest, but can God find us doing the work of bringing men to Christ, instead of just talking about it?

I was walking to the supermarket not long ago, when I noticed three or four shopping carts that had been abandoned on the nearby sidewalks. The Lord began to speak to my heart as I approached the carts.  He explained to me that these carts were useless setting there on the sidewalk, because they were misplaced and out of the element for which they were created.  He told me to gather them and take them back to the supermarket where they would once again be useful and appreciated. 

This a picture of evangelism - gathering precious people who are standing around, going nowhere, and doing nothing useful in God's sight. We are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them and lovingly usher them to the House of God where they will be put to work as soldiers in the Army of the Living God.  They get their lives back and help bring many others - who are spiritually dead like they were - to eternal life in Christ.

If this generation is to be saved, we must be trained to gather the wayward, bring them to the House of God, and show them the blessed Kingdom life that's ours in the Spirit! Pray this prayer with me:

"Lord, now that I am gathered to You, teach me to gather others, who will gather others,

 that Your house and Your joy might be filled! In the name of Jesus, Amen."

Love,

Pastor Eric 

The Call to Something More

                Luke 5:1-4

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

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The Lord was drawing Simon Peter, and he had no idea he was “on the hook.” Jesus commandeered his boat, and Peter allowed it - reluctantly. Jesus asked him to push out a little from the shore, and he did - reluctantly. He then asked Simon to launch out into the deep and let out his net – again. A frustrated Simon, who had fished all night and caught nothing, reluctantly agreed; and I guarantee he didn’t do it with the best of attitudes or expectations. “What can this carpenter/rabbi possibly know about catching fish?” Yet, Peter did what the Lord asked – reluctantly; and his life was forever changed.

Jesus was not after fish, He was after Simon. Simon thought his life was about catching fish, but from this point on, it was about Jesus and catching men. Just like Simon, we will only find the true meaning of our lives when we are overmastered by the Lord and His calling. So don’t be afraid. Leave the boat, the net, the fish, everything, and everyone behind. Respond to the Lord’s calling. Your life is ahead of you, and it’s found in Christ Jesus.

                Luke 5:11

So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

The choice is yours!

Seeing the Hidden Things

Seeing the Hidden Things

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. (Luke 10:21)

The knowledge of God is not an intellectual accomplishment, nor is it a matter of merit, but one of privilege – a sovereign choice of God to reveal Himself as He sees fit and to whom He wills. No amount of effort or study can prepare you for this epiphany, no money can purchase it, nor can pedigree or degree fetch it. In fact God uses that which we consider foolish to confound the wise, and He prefers the lowly and humble to the exalted. He values the meek and gentle over the forceful, and He reserves His best for those who approach Him as paupers rather than princes . . .

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 5:3

We rise to the highest estate when we fall to our knees, and we know the most when we forsake all we’ve learned and simply hear Him. It is God’s good pleasure to give us the Holy Spirit when we simply ask, seek and knock. And when we seek Him first, all we would work for is given to us. This is the peace beyond understanding only the children of the King enjoy. Are you simple and small enough to be blessed? Are you insignificant enough to be great? Empty enough to be filled? This is what God requires before He reveals Himself to you.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matt 5:6

Love and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric

What We Believe

What We Believe at The Father’s House

Ø       We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son,      and God the Holy Spirit.

Ø       We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, and His bodily resurrection.

Ø       We believe the Bible to be the inspired and infallible Word of God.

Ø       We believe in salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ø       We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we desire to walk in the fullness of the Spirit with    all the gifts and grace in which He operates.

Ø       We believe in the power of the Lord to perfect, equip, and sanctify His children, and to make us fit  for every good work He ordains.

Ø       We believe Christ has set us free from the dominating and controlling power of sin and death, and  His work on the Cross of Calvary has made us children of God and citizens of His Kingdom.

Ø       We believe in the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection of both the saved and the lost.  We believe those who are saved will spend eternity with Him, enjoying and glorifying Him forever.

Ø       We believe loving God and others is the greatest commandment and the infallible proof that we are  the children of God, for God is love.

So Far So Good

Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. (Proverbs 24:3, 4)

I hope you see as clearly as I do that the Lord is doing a “new thing” at The Father’s House. The life verse of our fellowship is found in Isaiah 43:18, 19:

"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?”

And it is so, as He is doing great and mighty things in our midst. To this we shout, “Hallelujah!”

I pray that the Lord continues to give us the wisdom to build TFH with spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and we continue to see our “rooms” filled the precious and pleasant riches of His presence. Join me as I purpose to worship the Lord more passionately, seek Him more diligently, and pray with more fervor and greater expectancy than ever. May the King continue to abide with us, and we with Him. May our song pierce every cloud and bring us to His throne with a mighty and acceptable praise. And may our God be pleased, fill us with His Spirit and make us holy, just as He is. Sounds like a plan!

Love and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric

Intimacy

 Jesus continued, "There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild (prodigal) living.  (Luke 15: 11-13)

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I wonder if I'm the only one who sees himself in this passage! I'm amazed at how much and how often I'm like the prodigal son. Too often, I view God as my heavenly blessing machine. I treat Him like a fast food drive-through, picking up my blessings "to go." Even though I know my spiritual fast food diet will catch up with me one day, I presume the grace and mercy of God will cover me anyway. Sad.

The blessings we seek from God can distance us from Him, if we're not very careful to pursue an intimate relationship with Him. In spite of so much preaching today about our breakthrough, our destiny, and our shining moment, the Bible is more focused on our character. So, our Father prepares and presents a feast for us everyday, and we must be careful to turn aside from all other concerns and sup with Him through worship, prayer, and the Word. Our schedules tell us we don't have time for this, but our souls long for the moments of sitting at the table with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - laughing, sharing, and talking. 

The prodigal son goes to his father to get a blessing; but to the children of God, being with the Father is our blessing.

Love you all,

Pastor 

Pursuits and Possessions

And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

(Luke 18:21-23)

Success in the Christian life is never measured by what we possess, but rather what we give away. This “giving away” involves much more than material possessions; it reaches all the way down to how we see ourselves, and the value we place on everything and everyone around us. It’s not until we are willing to be empty of our own will and beliefs that we are ready to be filled, and we must be willing to know nothing before we can know anything at all.

"You still lack one thing.”

It is a strange thing to tell a rich man that he is still lacking. That is because Jesus does not count what a man has, but what He can give him. Our Lord will never seek to fill those who are already full, nor will He pry open a closed fist and force Himself upon us. But He will patiently wait until we realize how desperately poor we really are before revealing Himself. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .” (Matthew 5:3)

. . . he became very sorrowful.

God will challenge us by placing someone in our path that possesses a greater measure of the Spirit to provoke us to a holy jealousy. How we respond to that person says everything about our willingness to grow in the Lord. We are never the same after we’ve seen this person, and as a result, we will either shrink back into the false comfort of the familiar or pursue the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The choice is ours . . .

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."

(Mark 10:28)

Love, understanding, and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric

Being Filled and Led By the Spirit

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times.  (Acts10: 13-16a)

Receiving the Holy Spirit is a great thing, but it’s only the beginning of the story. Peter had been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and now God was teaching him to walk in the Spirit. The Lord Jesus was asking him to do something he would otherwise never do – go preach to the dreaded Gentiles. Jews of the day didn’t even speak to Gentiles. What a difficult thing it must have been for Peter to obey when he had no understanding of what the Lord was after!    

One of the earmarks of a Spirit-filled believer is God working through him or her in ways never imagined. If we are truly Spirit-filled, we are responding to God’s call to go where we would not have gone, love those we once felt nothing for, forgive those who hurt us most, and give what we would have kept. That’s when the Holy Spirit is having His way with us. God sent Peter, a Jew, to a place he would never have gone, to minister the Gospel to people he didn’t think God even cared about. Peter’s obedience would make a way for those lost in ignorance and sin to enter into the Kingdom of God, because he allowed the Spirit Who filled him to also direct him.

I encourage you to trust God more than your feelings or experiences, like Peter did. Peter simply obeyed God. You, too, must obey Him - even when He takes you through new and uncomfortable challenges. He is an exceedingly good God who will perfect and prepare you to do all He asks of you, through the Spirit Who fills you. Learn the lesson Peter learned – if you will let God change your mind, He will use you to change your world.

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric

Keep The Faith

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Luke 17:5

Beware of a romanticized view of faith. Faith is not a tool to get what we want from God, but a means for God to get what He wants from us! Faith teaches us to wait, pray, and obey, while never imagining that God is anything but completely trustworthy, and that He will keep us and His promises to us. It is a partnership where we submit ourselves to God, believing and walking with Him toward things we can't yet see and what we don't yet have (Hebrews 11:1).  

Faith simply believes God. It believes He cares even though we experience distressing times, it believes He heals even when we are sick, that He saves though the world around us is lost in sin, and that He is with us even when we feel so alone. Faith won't give up due to any of these circumstances, because it is rooted in our eternal God, not in our temporary plight. Faith looks at Jesus and refuses to look for another answer, another Savior. That's why nothing but faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).  

Not long ago, after a time of prayer, the Lord told me to act as if I had already received everything I'd just asked of Him. "Just believe Me." God was increasing my faith.  What visions, dreams, breakthroughs, and victories are you asking God for? Be sure your requests are rooted in the faith that lets you rest confidently in Him, because He never fails to hear us and help us when we pray.  God will be sure to keep His Word.  We must be sure to keep the faith!  

Love you,

Pastor

When What Was Lost Gets Found

Have you ever thought of yourself as God's latest reclamation project? Well, if you are truly His, that's what you are. The Bible makes it very clear that we all were far from God at one point. But He has, in His marvelous mercy, seen fit to draw us close to Him again, and to reveal His remarkable love and mercy to and through us.

We have been brought into such an excellent inheritance, and we are assured of everlasting life and joy with Christ, but there is still much to be done as we prepare to become effective witnesses right here and now. You see, being saved is only the beginning; being holy and mature is the goal.  Holiness is God's aim as He "sanctifies" us, setting us apart for His own good pleasure, enjoying us as we enjoy Him. 

A great part of living the life of a saint is the awesome work of regaining what was lost in our former life of sin and dysfunction. Before we were saved, we may have thought of ourselves as moral, ethical citizens who were good people deep down.  But the Bible says we were hopelessly flawed, unable and unwilling to submit to a holy God. And because God made us for His purposes alone, we lost our true identity in those wayward years.

My prayer is that the current series of teachings, entitled "From Capable to Faithful" speaks to each of us personally about the hopes, dreams, ministries, talents, and gifts that seemed to be lost forever and buried under the disobedience and rebellion of the past.  For the Lord has promised to restore the years the "locusts" have eaten, and He will cause us to bear much fruit for this and future generations. If only we'll hear, believe, and obey - because you'll never truly know yourself and who you can be until you've recovered all.  It's a great thing to be God's reclamation project!

Love and peace beyond understanding,

Pastor Eric

My Prayers and My God

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Matthew 7:7-11

If we believe God answers prayer, we will pray.  If we believe God always answers prayer, we will always pray.  If we believe God sometimes answers prayer, we will pray sometimes.  If we believe God is casual about answering prayer, we will be casual about praying.  If we believe God listens for our prayers, we will speak to Him in prayer.  Our prayer life is the surest indicator of what we believe about God.

I desire to know God better, so I pray. I desire to see His mighty acts in my days, so I fall on my knees often. I long to see my family saved, so I call out their names in intercession. I desire to pastor a church that makes a difference, so I charge the flock to pray unceasingly.  Yet I cannot mandate that men pray, so I appeal to the Spirit of God in them to awaken their hearts and lovingly encourage them to enter into realm of the impossible, the improbable, the miraculous, and the eternal through prayer. Prayer is the key that opens the door to the unbridled power God wants to release – simply because we ask.

What an awesome reality -- prayer is the key to victory over enemies too strong for us, mountains too high for us, waters too deep, problems too tough to overcome. One might think saints need to swim the deepest ocean, be a superhero, or outsmart and outflank our foes. Yet the way up is down on our knees, the way out is in the prayer closet, the victories we see are won in the secret place, and our weapon of choice is prayer.

Remember:

v  Prayer releases the astonishing acts of God, and reminds us that we have been given extraordinary capabilities.

v  Prayer is the “natural” response of the spiritual man.

v  Prayer causes God to dispatch angels, who minister to the needs we lift up to Him.

v  Prayer is the little thing we do that precedes the great things God does.

v  Prayer is the great emancipator of all who are held prisoner to anything or anyone other than Christ.

v  Prayer must become the primary ministry of The Father’s House and my house.

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric

Can You Handle the Truth?

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you a teacher of Israel and do not know these things? If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:9,10)

Nicodemus was clueless, and being a teacher, he was without excuse. His understanding of God was superficial and religious; so when Jesus came on the scene, he and his fellow leaders were baffled and troubled. They were no more prepared for the coming of the King than the ancient world was for the Great Flood. They had detached themselves from the Word of God, and those without the Word in their hearts will never recognize the Word in flesh.

We will surely remain immature if we insist God do things the way we expect. The lost sheep of Israel remained lost even though the Good Shepherd had come, because He didn't fit their mold of the Messiah. We, too, are confused and clueless about the ways of God until we humble ourselves to receive His revelation on His terms. Jesus was bringing Nicodemus into a new realm of understanding, just as He is doing for us -- the Kingdom is at hand!

Therefore, we must be born again in our thinking and perspective. It's one thing to be baptized in water, and another to be baptized into a full appreciation of our new life by the Spirit of God (and I’m certainly not minimizing water baptism). We must receive the attitude that allows us to see the issues of life from the Lord’s point of view - and that is a spiritual perspective. 

It's God's pleasure to give us the keys to the Kingdom, and our good pleasure to receive them.  Once we settle ourselves in a childlike position of trust and obedience, the mysteries of faith become clearer all the time. Nicodemus was asking the right questions, but the answers were not what he expected. Jesus' words were Spirit, and Nicodemus did not yet have ears to hear.

Are we simple enough, humble enough, quiet enough to hear and understand spiritual things?  Can we handle the truth?

Love and peace,

Pastor

Dream with God

Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.  (Genesis 15:5, 6)

Abraham was an old man, and Sarah was well past her childbearing prime. It was foolish to think he and his wife would ever have an heir of their own, but God uses foolishness for His own divine purposes (1 Corinthians 1:25). Just when Abraham’s faith was at its lowest point, the Lord challenged him, “Look now toward heaven . . .” Abraham and Sarah needed an attitude adjustment and a change of perspective if they were going to walk any further with God. They were going to have to give God their hopes and dreams and trust Him with them. So it is with each of us who hope in the Lord.

God wants to free us from the trap of small and limited thinking. We limit God in our minds whenever we elevate our circumstances instead of recognizing the opportunities to increase our faith. Faith is only increased by the determination to cling to God and His Word, and to let Him have the final say in all things. The name of Jesus must truly become the “name above all names” in my thinking, and my best efforts must disappear in the light of His sovereign will and His goodness.

Remember that He is gracious and is remarkably kind to all who believe and wait on Him. Now is the time for us to look up and believe!

Love and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric

Faith that Believes God

Galatians 3:6-9

just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

The gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to Abraham, in that we are saved by God's grace and our faith that believes God. That is the blessing "all nations" receive through Abraham - we believe like he did, and we are saved. In the same way, you and I are a blessing to "all nations" by our decision to believe God and walk according to that belief, for men are still saved by grace through faith. That fact has always been and forever will be. Without faith, it is (and always will be) impossible to please God - believing that He "is" and that He is good is the bedrock of saving grace. (Hebrews 11:6)

Our flesh and our carnal nature, however, war against the simplicity of faith, always seeking to justify itself through its own goodness and nobility. Therefore, we hear numerous messages, some mixed and some perverted, telling us there are other ways to God and other ways to please Him. Jesus is often left out and relegated to a sideshow in God's plan of redemption (and if I can be pleasing to God some other way, why do I need redemption???). So you will hear none of the rugged, bare truth of our lostness and our desperately sinful nature, little about the awfulness of the Calvary, the Blood of the Lamb - that is left out, no longer central to today's message. It's all about people and their needs, and our responsibility to relieve those needs. We are told we must fix the wrongs, change the world, procure justice, etc. But there is no acknowledgment of our inability to do anything worthy without Christ - and who needs faith when we can accomplish our goals by being good on our own? (By the way, "giving back" is nowhere in the scriptures, and is, in fact, antithetical to Christ and His Word - the world never gave you anything to "give back" but sin. This is the voice of the Anti-Christ).

Believing God is the greatest thing any man or woman will ever do, and this cannot be learned in a day, or in a laboratory, or in any field of our choosing. The Lord will place us in impossible and dire straits, he will squeeze and strain us, He will frustrate and offend us until we surrender to Him or forsake Him. The purity of our faith makes all the training and testing worth it to Him. Even Jesus learned obedience through suffering, and so will we. 

You will never hear this message preached by great preachers of the day. What message are you preaching?

Love you,

Pastor Eric

Do Not Worry

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6, 7)

Jesus was so resolutely connected to His Father by obedience and faith that He never wavered or lost sight of His mission – to bring many souls to glory. Men who loved Him one day would cry, “Crucify Him!” the next - yet He was not moved. Jesus often armored Himself for the onslaught of opposition with hours alone in the closet of prayer. When he came down from the mountaintop of communion with God, He was filled with the Spirit’s confidence and ready to step victoriously into the demon possessed valley.

Worry is a sure sign of spiritual laziness. God calls us away from wallowing in uncertainty to the sweet communion of prayer and worship – the same fellowship our Lord Jesus enjoyed. A saint cannot pray and worry – cannot truly thank God without trusting in His love and concern. Once we’ve touched the heart of God and received His Spirit afresh, we cannot dream He would ever leave or disappoint us.

For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15)

Shake off your doldrums and exercise your faith in Jesus. Your peace awaits!

 

Love and peace.

 

Understanding the Lord

Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. (John 8:43)

 No matter how long or closely we walk with God, we must guard against the danger of misunderstanding Him. We are apt to cast the Lord into the cramped mold of our perceptions –

             For now we see in a mirror, dimly . . . (1 Corinthians 13:12a).

We create a god that reflects our own deficiencies and excesses. We are liable to mistake a forgiving God for harsh, a loving God as angry, or a merciful Lord as condemning. Why is this?

 Mostly, we misjudge the depravity of our own hearts and our need for communion with Him. We must be determined to refresh our perspective and renew our minds. We must doggedly guard our hearts against the relentless bombardment of worldly and fleshly voices! The Word of the Lord must dwell richly in our heart, lifting us above the din of the devil and his cohorts. Only then do we come to know God, not just about Him. And when He reveals Himself, we won’t misunderstand Him, ignore Him, or simply miss Him. Lord, help us!!

The God of Our Mistakes

 

For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.  (1 Sam 12:22-23)

 

The children of Israel had sinned greatly in asking for an earthly king and rejecting the Heavenly King. They looked away from God and looked to the world, and if we are not careful, we are sure to do the same. Yet the Lord did not use Israel’s disobedience against them, but He lovingly rebuked them and set Himself to bless them still. As such, He is not only our God when we make right choices, but also when our choices are poor. He is our God, even of our mistakes.

 

God chose us as members of His body and church, and He knew what He was doing. He did not choose us because we were righteous and able (we were not), but out of His love and His sovereign right as God, He made us who we are by His grace. Our goodness did not qualify us, nor will our shortcomings disqualify us, because His mind is already made up about us;

 

Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:33)

 

Therefore, the children God chooses must operate with a deeply–rooted confidence in the God who knows us best, and we follow Him with boldness and assurance even in precarious times. Even our good deeds and good intentions are not the point – they are simply the overflow of the life hidden with God in Christ. So, stay hidden, and go forward with the God Who sees you in the secret place and rewards you openly. He will never leave nor forsake you – even when you blow it!

God is Good

“Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Matthew 20:15)

 

God’s word has gone out into the entire world, and the world has largely rejected His call. Jesus came to the Jews, and they largely rejected Him. He reached out to the Gentiles, and they, too, largely reject the Savior. Men go about their way in futility, seeking to gain what they cannot keep, and turning away from that which will keep them forever. The church, however, is the clearest indication on earth that the Lord is good, and His goodness is beyond the wildest dreams of man. It is born out of a love we cannot contain or explain, and we do well to be counted among those who choose the One who has chosen us! Welcome to the family of God!

Prayers and Answers

 

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14, 15)

 

There are some prayers God is guaranteed to answer. There are some petitions He will always grant, supplication that turns His head, and request He is anxious to fulfill. The prayer warrior is not contending with a stingy and reluctant God, nor is he wrestling blessing out of a tight fist – but he rests His cares at the feet of his Father, Who already know what he needs. He is not looking for the answer only, but looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith, and the One who fills all his every need.

 

Truly, there is not a good question for which Jesus is not the answer, and no human need He Himself does not fill. The intercessor prays the prayers he heard Jesus pray, and Jesus never offered a prayer the Father did not answer and honor . . .

"Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me.” (John 11:41b, 42a)

 

Jesus prioritized His relationship to the Father, always honoring, praising, emulating, and abiding in Him. Therefore, His prayers fit perfectly with the will of the Father Who already knows and sees all. All His Words were salt and light, and all His prayers were conceived and offered in the agreement with the will of the Father. The saint who increases in abiding with Him and lives in His presence will know His heart, and he will lift up prayers God is ever willing to receive and answer. Do you pray like that?

Seeing the Hidden Things

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. (Luke 10:21)

 

The knowledge of God is not an intellectual accomplishment, nor is it a matter of merit, but one of privilege – a sovereign choice of God to reveal Himself as He sees fit and to whom He wills. No amount of effort or study can prepare you for this epiphany, no money can purchase it, nor can pedigree or degree fetch it. In fact God uses that which we consider foolish to confound the wise, and He prefers the lowly and humble to the exalted. He values the meek and gentle over the forceful, and He reserves His best for those who approach Him as paupers rather than princes . . .

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 5:3

 

We rise to the highest estate when we fall to our knees, and we know the most when we forsake all we’ve learned and simply hear Him. It is God’s good pleasure to give us the Holy Spirit when we simply ask, seek and knock. And when we seek Him first, all we would work for is given to us. This is the peace beyond understanding only the children of the King enjoy. Are you simple and small enough to be blessed? Are you insignificant enough to be great? Empty enough to be filled? This is what God requires before He reveals Himself to you.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matt 5:6

Resist the devil

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  

(James 4:7)

Resistance through humility is the most aggressive posture a saint can take against the wily tactics of Satan. Humility is a most formidable weapon that the devil has no answer for, because he cannot humble himself. A decisive blow is delivered to the darkness around us when we fall to our knees and submit ourselves to our Father’s will. The saint who is bowed low in worship and prayer cannot be touched by the lies of the accuser, the lust of the flesh, nor the lures of the world. Down at His feet is the most high place!

 

Satan will offer you a great number of options, but none of them will involve humility. He will convince you to offer lip service without truly serving another – to feel sorry for your actions, yet fall short of godly sorrow which leads to repentance – to establish your own kingdom and call it  ministry. Yet, our Lord tells us to humble ourselves in the sight of God and men, because He resists the proud and lifts up the humble. What an honor it is to respond to His call to be like Jesus, Who laid aside His glory to serve us and die for us! Listen closely and you’ll hear Him calling you to a point of humility. Will you answer the call?

Capture Every Thought

. . . casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

 

Thoughts are strange things. They can come at any time, from any source, and lodge themselves in our consciousness without invitation or permission. Therefore, we must take the responsibility to steward our thought life all the more seriously. In a day when there are so many voices and images vying for our attention, it takes a great deal of effort and discipline to renew our minds and cleanse our hearts for the Master’s abiding presence – for He cannot and will not abide with an unholy thought life.

 

Our thoughts will become our god unless we learn to immediately capture and test them by the Word. It amazes me how many Christians worship the “god of their understanding” instead of the God of the Word (and they don’t even realize it). Yet, the Holy Spirit takes the unfathomable riches of God and showers the Mind of Christ upon all who are willing to receive Him.

 

Truly, the knowledge of the Lord and His will are greater than we can imagine - and how wonderful He is to humble Himself and speak to our minds and hearts in a love language we can understand! So, let Jesus be God of your thought life and your thoughts subject to His counsel. There you will find peace and refreshment. Don’t just think about it - pray about it.

Behave Like a Christian

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “ Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore

“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Romans 12:9-21

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Christian behavior is derived from Christian character which is developed over time and with much attention and care. We must not assume that we come easily into the realm of righteous living without first overcoming many obstacles both within and outside us. Our new nature is firmly established as our dominant nature by the painstaking process of putting the old man to death, and then we must guard the gains we've made with much effort and diligence - and this is a difficult and glorious process which is to end in our sanctification and oneness with Christ, Who is One with the Father. Amen.

The only Teacher is Jesus Christ, and His life is made real to and in us only by the Holy Spirit. No amount of well intentioned striving will ever achieve the goal of wholeness, holiness, and health in Him - we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This truth is central to us understanding and appropriating God's instruction, as it is with all the scriptures. Yet, this truth is the stumbling block that frustrates so many Christians - that is, we have no chance of doing what the Bible instructs until we surrender and exchange our strength, receiving God's strength, the Holy Spirit. Only then does this passage become instruction we can successfully obey - and obey it we must.

- Love without hypocrisy. God is love, and we cannot love without His Spirit. His love is unique and unfathomably profound. It is beyond the love we can give or appreciate, and it is best expressed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our love must mirror His love, or we are merely hypocrites - bad actors. Love embraces good and rejects evil, it is kind, giving, consistent, durable, and humble. Love takes action, overcomes obstacles, and manifests in service to others. It talks less than it works. Love is alive and active, and apathy is its antithesis.

- Love is mature and wise. It handles the good and the difficult with the dignity of the Holy Spirit. Love does not require that it be returned or acknowledged, as it is not needy, but complete in itself. Love is not dramatic or fanatical, it is not overly emotional, and it is not hindered by or mired in controversy. Love is relentless, and it always accomplishes what it sets out to do, just as Jesus was not deterred from His mission - the Cross.

- Love is the best revenge. No other power can compete with love, so it never has to get even. Love will never allow us to act in kind with those who wrong us, or the world, or those who don't know The Lord. Our example is Jesus, and He never avenged himself, vindicated himself, or felt the necessity of explaining Himself. His love spoke for Him, and He ever lives as the Loving Overcomer. Amen.

Love and perfect peace,
Pastor Eric

Speak Kind Words

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.  (Colossians 4:6)

Our words tell us what’s in our hearts, and the Lord judges us according to the content of our speech. Psalm 19:14 says:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

We are called to speak the words like our Savior spoke – words of wisdom and peace that build and strengthen the hearer. It is a shame when a Christian obtains a reputation for divisive or confrontational speech. It does heaven no good for us to win an argument and lose or discourage a soul!

Words have power that many of us don’t yet appreciate. If we did we would lavish praise on others and cease from needless criticism and chatter. God chose words to communicate His love to us in the Bible. Even His Son, Jesus Christ is called the Word of God. The connection between our speech and our spirit is sure, and a careful and kind spirit is reflected in Holy Spirit-sweetened speech!

When our hearts are settled on the love and kindness of our God, we will speak blessings and encouragement. Our words will be like morning dew and evening rain on dry and thirsty ears of those around us. Let your speech be a blessing today. Let the world hear the Jesus in you.

In love and peace,

Pastor Eric