MEAT FOR MATURITY – DISCIPLESHIP

We want to be filled with God and his goodness, and be one with Him, but we find that we are distracted by the demands and values of the world. So how do we overcome these pressures? One of the biggest themes in the New Testament is that having a view of God’s tremendous love and future blessings for us will empower us to let go of worldliness and participate in God’s fullness. We see this in one of the most famous prayers of the New Testament – the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19: 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every familyc in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and Continue Reading →

Do you ever think about how wonderful it would be if you could be like Adam or Eve before they sinned? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to live in perfect harmony with God and others? It is helpful to remember why Jesus came: so God could make each of us into a new Adam: restore our Adamic nature and our Adamic relationship with God. Jesus does this and more! Remember that the old arrangement, or Mosaic covenant, that God had with his people did not succeed in producing a nation of people who loved God and followed his ways. The people could not produce a new Garden on earth where everyone lived in harmony and prosperity. This was all rooted in the fact that they could not eliminate the corruption from their nature. The condemnation from the Garden remained. Yet in God’s wisdom and design, he was working in all of Continue Reading →

“[Yahweh] blesses his people with peace” (Psalms 29:11, NIV). The Hebrew word for “peace” in this passage is the well-known Hebrew word “shalom”, which means all-around harmony and prosperity in one’s life. In the Old Testament this included one’s physical circumstances. God promised faithful believers that he would bless their finances, their families, and their living conditions. Yet we do not see the same promises in the New Testament. Why? When do we receive peace from God? The New Testament often promises peace, using a Greek translation of the Hebrew word shalom. Yet in the New Testament believers are promised persecution, the pain of carrying their Cross and general rejection by the world. So how can this be peace from God? The New Testament promises a deeper interior peace from God. The peace in the New Testament is actually superior to the peace of the Old Testament. We have the Continue Reading →

We often hear about intimacy with God. We all want to be closer to God, although it may be unclear to us what that really means. Today we will taste some of that life, and I suspect that this taste will fire our hearts and bring us closer to complete loving surrender to God. And if you are wondering how to motivate people to pursue Jesus, then consider beginning with the idea of intimacy with God. Once people see the treasure, they will be more willing to “sell all they have” in order to get the treasure. When people understand what God wants to do for them, then they are much more willing to embrace your leading. John of the Cross was a 16th-century Spaniard who pursued and loved God as much as anyone ever did. We are blessed that he was also a great writer and could express his Continue Reading →