Matthew 16:19

 I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.

     This is part of the passage that includes Peter's confession of Christ as the Messiah and the Son of the Living God. Think how happy Jesus must have been, knowing that His crucifixion was coming near, but that He had successfully set His Disciples on a firm path to carry on His work. They recognize Him for who He truthfully is, and He can now begin to prepare them for when He must leave them. He can begin to reveal the Father's plan and the part they will play in it.

     He praises Peter for his steadfastness and his faith, and then announces that He, Himself, will be the bedrock or cornerstone of His Church.  This is what I picture happening ... Jesus with His hand on Peter's shoulder, saying "Yes, you are a rock".  Then, pointing to Himself, saying, "And it is on this rock that I will build My church".  Perhaps he laid his hand on his breast, as he did in John 2:19: Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 

     Then He announces today's passage and their purpose in "the plan"... they will receive the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven! What must they have thought?!? The concept of someone having the keys to anything meant they had the power to open and shut the door to it. But Jesus is telling them they have that power and authority when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven!

    I believe Jesus is telling Peter that he, himself, will open the door to faith, just as he would do to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2) and to the Gentiles in the person of Cornelius and his household (Acts 10). Those keys would unlock the blessings and the power of Heaven itself for all those who come to faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God of Heaven! That faith is a key that unlocks a Divine relationship between Heaven and Earth -- one that cannot be hindered.

     But those keys were not reserved for Peter alone!  Just two chapters later, in Matthew 18, Jesus repeats the same benefits of binding and loosing, once one unlocks the key to the Kingdom. This time it is directed to the other disciples.  But it also pertains to us!  When we are obedient to the commands of our Lord, Jesus (in heaven) looses the authority of His Word as it goes forth on earth for the fulfillment of its purpose. 

     It is important to understand that the expressions “bind” and “loose” were common to Jewish legal phraseology.  Whenever a Jew came up against the Law of Moses, that Jewish person was either "bound" or "loosed" in regard to that law. To loose was to permit; to bind was to prohibit. To loose was to free from the law, to bind was to put under the law. Their regular sense, which any Jew would recognize was to allow and to forbid. To bind something was to declare it forbidden; to loose was to declare it allowed. These were the regular phrases for making decisions in regard to the law.

     But Jesus has come to fulfill the Law, so Heaven is now the authority to which we appeal -- not the Rabbinic Law.  Therefore, whatever we bind (because it goes against the commands of Jesus) has already been declared forbidden; and whatever we loose (that aligns with Jesus and benefits the Kingdom) has already been declared allowable -- and the authority of Heaven stands behind us! It goes without saying that this refers to Kingdom work done in Jesus's Name and in obedience to His Word on earth.

     The authority that comes with the keys is still promised to the Body of Christ today. In the powerful words of theologian Charles Spurgeon, "The Lord continues to back up the teaching and acts of His servants, and as long as we abide rightly in Him, we have His sanction to make them valid. The words of His servants, spoken in His Name, shall be confirmed by the Lord, and shall not be, either as to promise or threatening, a mere piece of rhetoric." Hallelujah, that we possess the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven!

     

     

Ten Prophetic Keys

     I am an unabashed history lover. And no history is more fascinating than that of the ancient Israelite nation, whose story permeates the Old Testament in the Bible. And with the upcoming Feast of Passover in April, my thoughts turn to the deliverance of ancient Israel from Egypt. I also wanted to consider all the prophecies that the Good Book makes about the future nation of Israel, and how we are seeing them play out before our very eyes.
     I  want to begin by giving recognition to Asher Intrater, the Director of Revive Israel, for the research done on this topic. Revive Israel is a Ministry with a vision of Revival and Restoration in the land of Israel and the Nations.  And as part of the Messianic remnant in the Holy Land, the ministry team feels the Lord has a plan for them in this 21st Century.  And I was greatly interested in the unique perspective that Intrater, a Messianic Jew, could bring to the Bible's prophecies about Israel in these latter days.  So, after studying Jewish history, Rabbinic thought, and current events in Israel, Intrater gives us an interesting picture of how a modern Jew views modern Israel from a Biblical worldview. Allow me to share his insight on ten prophetic keys to the restoration of End Times Israel:

Eliezer Ben Yehuda

     1. Restoring the Language. What was perhaps the first modern prophetic key regarding Israel in the End Times, came to Eliezer Ben-Yehuda in the late 1870s. He had a vision. He felt God tell him, "You will go back and restore the language of the prophets in the land of the prophets." He accepted that calling, and today is known as the father of the Modern Hebrew language. He moved his family to Israel in 1881, and his son was the first person to speak Hebrew as his mother tongue since ancient times. Intrater reports that, today, the Messianic community in Israel, has returned not just to the Hebrew language, but to speaking in tongues as the early church did for the first time on Pentacost in Acts 2.
    2. Global Reconciliation.  The second key was from Rabbi Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, and possibly the most significant in modern Jewish history. In the beginning, the Ultra-Orthodox Jews were against the nation of Israel. In fact, most of them continue to be so. Kook saw that the Israeli pioneers were secular, atheist Communists. Therefore it seemed that the movement could not be from God. However, because they were bringing God&039;s people back to the Land of Israel according to Biblical prophecies, he created a bridge between Ultra-Orthodoxy and modern Zionism, and in doing so, laid the foundations of what we call Modern Orthodoxy. Today this stream of Judaism is pro-Israel and even serves in the IDF.
     Similarly, Intrater believes that the calling of Messianics is to bring together all the diverse aspects of Israel, including Orthodox and secular Jews, as well as the international Ekklesia (church). Even though they're all supposed to be on the same side, throughout history these groups have opposed each other. So the second End Times prophetic word is the joining together of Israel and the church.
     3. Stages of Restoration.  Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine; a Jewish thinker, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar. He was born in 1865 and died in 1935. It is interesting to note than when Rabbi Kook considered modern Israel, he did not believe that it was the Kingdom of God, but rather the first stage of the restoration which would lead to the Kingdom of God. There had to be some sort of physical restoration of the Land and the people of Israel so that redemption could take place.
     It is even more interesting that Asher Intrater is saying the same thing. He believes that modern Israel today is not the Kingdom of God, but rather the initial steps of a restoration that is leading to the Kingdom of God. He states that it is a mistake to be overly Zionist and call this the Kingdom of God, and it's also a mistake to reject the idea completely. He believes that these are the beginning stages and the Messianic community is in the middle of it.
     4. Reading the Prophets.  David Ben-Gurion, visionary and leader of Modern Zionism, read the Bible, particularly the prophets. He held Bible studies each week in his home. He taught the Bible, but he mistakenly interpreted the Bible through a Communist viewpoint, as a kind of a socialist work. However, he was right to encourage the reading of the prophets, and to not just read the Bible, but try to live it. Intrater believes that because he took inspiration from the Scriptures about restoring the nation of Israel, God chose him to be the first Prime Minister of Israel.
     5. Pre-Governmeny Preparation.  During the time of the British Mandate, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, Ben-Gurion also realized that one day the future nation was going to have a government, but it wasn't ready yet. They needed to build an organization that could function like a government so that they would be ready to have a nation when the time came. He set up an organization called the "Histadrut," and it began to function like a government until it later became one.
     Intrater believes that is a prophetic word for the Church. The Ekklesia is supposed to be two things, not just the people who have been gathered out of the nations to become the Body of Christ, but the word Ekklesia also means a governing body or coalition. As Believers, we are here not just to run the Church but act as our own "Histadrut" or pre-government. We are being prepared now to run Yeshua's government when He returns. That's why we believe in apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, in elders and deacons, and in the structure of the Church, because we are in training. A government isn't run by one person, but by a whole group of people. That's what discipleship is all about; getting ready to run one of the positions of His government.

David Ben-Gurion

    6. Preparing for War.  Ben-Gurion also knew that when the new State of Israel, was declared, within 24 hours every nation in the Middle East was going to attack it. They were not ready. They didn't have any weapons or soldiers. They didn't know how to fight. So he set aside all of his other functions, forming and training a military in a year and a half.
     Again, Intrater believes this is a prophetic word coming out of the body of Messiah in Israel. We are heading towards the greatest war in the history of mankind. We are moving into a period where all the nations of the world are going to attack Israel and Christians, and do everything they can to stop the second coming of Yeshua.  We need to learn to pray and prophesy, to understand the Scriptures and declare the Word of God.
     7.  Confrontation of .the Nations.  Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, goes to the United Nations and confronts them, unlike any other world leader we've seen. He tells the UN that they are making decisions against the Land and people of Israel, even though they have a mandate from God to be there. He quotes the Bible and he rebukes them for immorality and humanistic thinking, boldly confronting the nations of this world.
     There is something about the nation of Israel and its very existence that is in confrontation with the UN. Intrater believes Israel is going to begin to confront the nations of the world with the truth of God. This is one aspect of Israel's calling, and now that the body of Messiah is connected to Israel, they have a prophetic message to give to the world.
     8. Exposing Radical Islam.  Netanyahu - more than any other world leader today - understands that radical Islamic terrorism is the worst evil this world has ever seen, and we need to fight it. Intrater says, "People are being murdered at an unprecedented rate and nobody is really fighting it other than Israel. There is an alignment coming out of the nation of Israel".
     Furthermore, he says, "You have the choice either to succumb to radical Islam or to fight against it. The church doesn't necessarily need to take up weapons. But it needs to be able to speak the truth and call it what it is: a murderous, Anti-Christ spirit. When you send people all over the world to murder everyone who disagrees with you, you are breaking the Ten Commandments. That cannot be the God of Israel, and we need to actively oppose it".
     9. Establishment of the Throne of David.  In Hebrew, there is no word for 'prime minister.' Instead, the title is the 'head of the government of Israel.' Do you remember all the prophecies about Yeshua when He was born? He would sit on the throne of David and rule over the tribes of Jacob. When Yeshua comes back, He will sit on David's throne and rule the world from David's throne forever.
     Intrater, and the Messianic community in Israel, believe in a literal fulfillment of the prophecies of the Kingdom of God coming on earth. But until there was modern Israel and a government in Israel, how could you believe these prophecies? For 2,000 years much of the Church did not really believe in the Second Coming, but instead in the Second Appearance. They believed that Yeshua is going to appear, come half way down, rapture away His bride, and then leave again! But the Bible says He comes back once - all the way back to the Mount of Olives! Israel has been restored and its capital is in Jerusalem. Yeshua can now return and reign over the earth from Jerusalem.
     10. Physically inheriting the Land.  Lastly, Intrater wants it understood that one of the things that the head of the Israeli government does is to guarantee that Jews and their descendants can settle in the Land: that they have the right to build homes, establish farms, support an economy and raise their children. It is amazing how much this idea is hated by so many around the world.
     Does the Bible indeed say that when Yeshua comes back the saints will inherit the earth? Yes (Matthew 5:5 and 25:34). The way God ensures that His kingdom will come to this earth is by promising it to the Jewish people, in the Land of Israel. If it doesn't happen there, it can't happen anywhere else on the rest of the earth. The fact that Jewish people are living there is a sure sign that Yeshua is coming and we will inherit the earth.

     I hope you have found this perspective as fascinating as I have.  As Christians, it is important that we put politics aside and recognize that the modern state of Israel has yet to fulfill its prophetic fullness: 1) The full number  has yet to be Saved; 2) They have yet to operate in their full Biblical power; 3) They have yet to operate in their full Biblical character; 4) They have yet to operate in their full Biblical purpose to lead all nations.  But, as you can see by Asher Intrater's resolute conviction, the Messianic Jews in Israel recognize God's plan for the fullness of the nation of Israel, which will bring about the Glory of God in the Millennial Kingdom. Our God is a God of covenants, and His commitments and promises to His portion, Israel, will not be broken.

Amos 9:14-15    "I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God".


   

   

What's Your Real Security?

     As I wrote this post, AT&T cell coverage for nearly the entire state of Texas and major cities on the East Coast (including New York City and Washington, D.C.), the middle of the country (Cleveland, Detroit, rural Missouri), Southeast (Atlanta), and West Coast (San Francisco), was nonexistent for about 5 hours.  Not only were cell phones useless, but banks were unable to conduct business; grocery stores could not sell their goods; and businesses, in general, came to a grinding halt.  Those people and companies who rely on wireless cell coverage for their internet access were suddenly left unconnected with the worldwide web. I heard rumors that other major wireless carriers were also encountering problems.

     Fortunately for me, my internet access comes from a local cooperative, and I was able to write this post and see what was going on across the world. When checking AT&T's website, there were over 16,000 comments reporting that outages were either occurring now, or in some cases, had been reported for over 3 days. Funny thing is, there was no media outlet reporting this phenomenon! No crawlers running across news station feeds; no reports on major social media sites; not even a mention on the conspiracy sites.  On top of that, the Stock Market took a pretty steep dive (supposedly because of doubts that the Congressional House will pass a new health care bill) -- but was that the real reason? Regardless of all that, in interacting with people in my local area, there was a sense of underlying alarm ... what did this mean?  I witnessed people withdrawing money from their banks (those transactions being done the old-fashioned way, by hand; and gassing up their cars). I will admit that I took those same precautions; primarily because I needed to fill up my car anyway and didn't want to get in a long gas line (I still remember those of the 1980's).
     Without appearing to be a fearmonger, it was not out of the question to suggest that this could be a nefarious act -- someone (or nation) attempting to disrupt the business and/or economy of this nation; or at the very least, causing confusion, an interruption in day-to-day activities, and an unsettling sense of anxiety.  So, now comes the crux of what I want to say in this post ... how secure would all this make you feel?  Are your first thoughts for your physical safety, or like me, would you have a calmness in your spirit, knowing that you are not of this world? That no matter what chaos ensues, I am secure in my spiritual safety.  I seek the shelter of Almighty God and picture myself running into a strong tower where I am protected from the disorder and pandemonium swirling outside.

     I ask these questions because we are living in an increasingly unsafe world.  Terrorism, nuclear weapons, and radical ideologies are the modern weapons of this world; weapons that man is far too familiar with.  But there is a growing wickedness and evil that are dangerous spiritual weapons against us, too.  Believe me, I am seeing that in the people God is bringing to us through our ministry.  And I will tell you that ten years ago, I never would have believed that I would be hearing from people who have experienced demons trying to convince them to end their lives; or demons identifying themselves as Lucifer during a healing/deliverance session; or heard the soul-searing pain that so many have suffered in their childhoods.
     But I have also witnessed women who have seen Jesus, in their spirits, change their filthy rags into a gown of white. And I have witnessed the Holy Spirit help a hurting heart forgive the one who transgressed against them so long ago, and experienced with them, the joy of a life-long weight being lifted from their soul. I have seen soul ties broken; oaths meant to keep generations in bondage be renounced; and childhood experiences integrated into the identity of the adult, all under the compassionate authority and guardianship of Jesus.
     And that is why I can approach the uncertain and unknown [that is a reality in our world today] with complete confidence and with peace in my spirit. I am aware of the dangers in this world -- those that are possible, and those that are inevitable. I read my Bible and Jesus makes it clear that if we follow Him, we will not leave this life unscathed. But if the gates of hell were opened tomorrow, I know that He is the rock upon which I would stand, making my steps secure.  My spirit will find rest in Him, knowing my faith in Him is my shield, behind which I can abide in total confidence and trust. And I feel safe, knowing His faithfulness [to me] will protect me from the fiery darts of the Enemy. His Word promises that He will fight for me, because I am precious to Him; bought with His blood! What in this world can offer any greater security?
     So, the "wireless crisis" passed after several hours, with no apparent explanation. And I do not doubt that when the "time of difficulty" comes upon the earth, the chaos will cause widespread panic and fear.  That is the time that we Christians need to know where our real security lies. We need to know the Authority and the Power we will have to wield over the forces of evil, while being prepared to lay down our lives for our friends. The coming destruction will be sudden, and that's why we need to be settled in our spirits this very moment. Know that if Jesus is your Savior, you are not condemned to God's Wrath on the Day of the Lord. Jesus is your Rock, your Fortress, and your Deliverer. There is no need to fear because His Arms are everlasting, and He is a refuge and strength, and abundantly available to help in times of trouble. Any security that this world has to offer is inadequate and insufficient.

Psalm 16:8   "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken".


   

Power and Authority; Signs and Wonders

     A couple of days ago, I was deep in my Bible, studying all the places that Jesus talked about Power and Authority -- His and the Father's, and ours.  As usual, I always end up back at Luke 10:19, one of the most compelling verses in the New Testament ... Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you (NASB).
     Depending on the version of the Bible you use, you might read, Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you. (Amplified), OR, Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (KJV). See the differences? The NASB and Amplified versions tell us that Jesus has given us authority over the power of the Enemy.  The KJV version says He gives us power over the power of the Enemy.

     Since I want to understand Jesus's Truth, and the implications it has for me in acting out my Faith, I needed to determine what words were used in the original manuscripts and what their meanings were at the time the Word was first translated.  As I followed the word trail, I received some surprising revelations.  Let me share...
     My first question was, are our English translations equating authority and power? Are they the same? When determining what the Bible is telling us, it is not enough to read our modern translations. We must discern the meaning and context at the time it was written.  In this case, I wanted to know why "authority" and "power" seemed interchangeable [among the versions] when it came to our rule over the serpents and scorpions; but all versions were in agreement that the rule of the enemy was always called "power". Since there is so much doubt and unbelief in the Body of Christ as to what our spiritual abilities are, it seems important to me to understand the original intent.
     Since the King James version, along with the 1599 Geneva Bible, and the Douay-Rheims Bible (1582) are the versions that use the word "power" in referring to the abilities Jesus gave us over the rule of the devil -- and they are the oldest -- I wanted to find out if there was any difference between our power to tread on serpents and scorpion, and the power of the enemy.  Here's what I discovered...
     The power to tread on serpents and scorpions is the Greek word, exousia. It's meaning (not surprisingly) is "authority"... but there's more.  That "authority" includes: having been given leave or permission; the ability or strength with which one has been endued (endowed or provided with an ability); the power of authority; the right to exercise power.  So this explains why some versions use the word "authority" when it comes to treading on serpents and scorpions, and some use "power". It appears that they are interchangeable.
     But there is more to this word exousia.  It is the power of one whose will and commands must be obeyed by others; the power of rule or government (as in a Kingdom).  When used, it implies that which is the subject of the authority or rule -- in this case, the serpents and scorpions. It also conveys the impression of one who possesses authority; a ruler. (In a sense, we can compare the power of our U.S. Ambassadors to represent the authority of our nation, to our power as representatives of God's Kingdom to use the Heavenly power bestowed upon us).
     So this is what we need to grasp from this particular use of the word "power" as it pertains to us.  Jesus has given us His authority -- the same authority given to Him by the Father -- to command the serpents and scorpions to be subject to us.  The Greek New Testament tells us as much in Luke 10:20.  After telling us we have the authority/power, Jesus goes on to say, "Nevertheless, do not continue to rejoice, namely, because the spirits marshall themselves in subjection under your orders...".  Nothing could be clearer!  They must do as we command [because we wield the power of Heaven]!     

    And just what was meant by "serpents" and "scorpions"?  Here's what was understood by those who heard Jesus's words:  Serpents referred to the characteristics of evil, concentrated in the arch-adversary of God and man, the Devil. It was understood that his characteristics included not only his evil, but his treachery, his venom, his murderous proclivities; the origin, hatefulness and deadly effect of Sin.  Those hearing Jesus speak understood that Scorpions produced a venomous sting and pain.  The fact that Jesus declared these two to be under our jurisdiction conveyed the thought of our victory [through Him] over spiritually antagonistic forces; the powers and forces of darkness.
     The Disciples understood what Jesus was telling them!  The power and authority was Jesus's, given to the Disciples! The 70 that Jesus sent out even declared it themselves in Luke 10:17 ...  “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” How frustrating it must be to Jesus to see that His 21st Century Disciples have lost this knowledge... and with it, the power and authority He has given to all who believe in Him [to subdue the spiritual forces coming against them]! But it is important for us, in this Age, to realize that the demons were subject to those early followers of Christ because the Disciples believed! It is not enough for us to try to command the dark spirits to leave if we are just using our human authority as part of our spiritual "medicine cabinet". We must believe that we have the very power of Jesus in us! If doubt and unbelief exist anywhere in your spirit, then your authority or power will have no effect!
     Now, let's look at the original meaning and context when it comes to our authority/power over the "power" that is the enemy's.  Not surprising, this is not the same Greek word, exousia.  In this instance, "power" is the Greek word, dunamis. The meaning of this word points to new and higher forces that have entered (and are working) in this lower world of ours; namely, supernatural power.  The Holy Spirit possesses dunamis power, and His power is in us. We see that picture in Luke 24:49, And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” We also see the this dunamis (supernatural) power in Luke 22:69, But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”  This is the supernatural power of Heaven that enabled Jesus to perform signs and wonders. And to no surprise of mine, dunamis is one of the Greek words used to describe "wonders".  In fact, "signs and wonders" is defined as "indicating dunamis (supernatural) power".
     But guess what?  Satan possesses "dunamis" power, too. Because the Greek word dunamis also connotes power, strength, and violence, we see the exercise of the devil's "dunamis power" in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.  Yes, his miracles will be false, but they are supernatural signs and wonders, nonetheless. But we should not fear!  Jesus, Himself, tells us very clearly in Luke 10:19 ... With the supernatural power (dunamis) that He has given us, and the authority (exousia) to use it, we can command [in His Name] that the powers and forces of Satan's darkness (the serpents and scorpions) leave us alone; and furthermore, that power [in us] defeats all the supernatural power that Satan commands!  He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world!
     So can you see how important it is that the modern Church come to the full knowledge and counsel of Jesus and the Father? The Bible tells us that darker days are ahead, and it should be clear, by now, that we cannot defeat the forces of evil under our own power.  We must believe that we have been given the abilities and strength of Heaven and the right (authority) to exercise that exousia power by His Name!  But that's not all!  Our exousia power will defeat Satan's dunamis power because his power is inferior to the dunamis power of Heaven that backs us up.
     I don't know how many of you have made it this far in reading my post -- you may have quit due to boredom or lack of interest. And to some, this may all seem like a useless exercise in semantics, but until we unpack the original meaning and context of the First Century in which this Scripture was spoken and written, we remain ineffective in our Twenty-First Century doctrine and theology. We will continue in our captivity to Satan's lies, and in our fears and self-doubt. And by not exercising our authority over the power of the Enemy, the Kingdom suffers -- we bear little fruit, we are unable to help Jesus set other captives free, we do not reflect God's glory and power in the midst of all the nations, and we are not readying the earth for His triumphal return.
     Jesus's words in Luke 10:19 were not only for those 70 Disciples who returned, declaring their victories over Satan's demons.  They were meant to inspire all generations that followed.  His words were meant for us -- to believe them and to live them! It's time the modern Church began proclaiming its own victories in the Name of Jesus!

Matthew 9:8   When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God and praised Him, who had given such authority and power to men. 
     

Mark 7:24-28

But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.

     This is an often misunderstood verse, with implications far beyond it's surface interpretation. The backdrop of Jesus's words is that He has retired to the region of Tyre and Sidon. These were important Canaanite cities, and Tyre was actually mentioned as the western border of the tribe of Asher (Joshua 19:29), while Sidon was included as part of the inheritance of Asher on its northern boundary (Joshua 19:28).  While Joshua included it as part of the Promised Land of Israel (Joshua 13:6), the tribe of Asher failed to conquer the land as God commanded (Judges 1:31).  

     I know this is a lot of history about the Biblical Israelites, but it is important to understand that this region where Jesus met this woman was not Israelite by population, but Gentile, and pagan according to their religious practice.  And it is logical to wonder why Jesus went there if He, as He stated, was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.  Although it is not specifically stated, I wonder if there were times in Jesus's short three years of ministry that He was exhausted by His increasingly contentious encounters with the Jewish religious leaders. And we can only imagine how draining it must have been to engage with the crowds who were growing and following Him everywhere.  If he needed some time away from "the fray", so to speak, then this region might offer Him some respite.  That being said, this is only conjecture on my part.

     So, I would like to suggest that Jesus is saying, My primary mission is to Israel (the Jews), and to step in where the experts in the Law have failed, and guide and transform the people into once again, fulfilling their mission of being God's Chosen.  He is attempting to reveal God's Light to Israel, hoping to heal both their spiritual and physical blindness.  

     Jesus knew, as do we, that the covenant was between God and Israel, but "true Israel", so to speak, is composed of Abraham's children within the Jewish AND the Gentile groups. All who are identified as having faith in Jesus are "Abraham's seed".  Ministry to the Gentiles will come as a result of His rejection by Jewish believers. As the disbelief increases on the Jewish side, the door to the Gentiles increasingly widens. All this, of course, was part of God's plan.

     The Bible says in verses just prior to Mark 7:24 that Jesus's fame had preceded Him, and this Syro-Phoenician woman bowed down at His feet, seeking healing for her daughter who was demon-possessed. But what does Jesus say?  It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. It is important to recognize that this woman was asking for healing for her daughter.  She is asking, on behalf of her daughter, for Deliverance, and she believes that Jesus has the authority to do it. Therefore, we must understand that Deliverance by the authority of Yeshua is referred to here as "the children's bread". He has come to bestow Life-giving bread upon the children of Abraham; the kind of bread that should be part of our spiritual diet; the kind of bread in which every Believer has a right to partake.

     Jesus, is in effect, telling the woman that it is not His specific mission to bestow this bread upon anyone other than Abraham's children. But her faith is actually stronger than many of the Israelites, who reject the Bread Jesus is offering.  She is willing to accept crumbs of Jesus's Life-saving Bread, if that is all He will offer her. Ultimately, her faith is expressed in her confidence that God will help her and her daughter; that healing and deliverance will take place. 

     I would like to suggest that Jesus may not have intended to grant this woman what she asked for, but He may have discerned that her faith came from a genuine confidence in His Father, and since He continually stated that He only did what the Father told Him, might He have received, at that moment, a communication from His Father to deliver healing? That would make sense why He at first refused her request. Remember, He was fully man and fully God, so He must have been continually listening for the Father's guidance on how to fulfill His mission. 

     But I want to go beyond the implications that this woman was seeking the Bread Jesus offered, which afforded Deliverance and Healing for her daughter.  As I stated earlier, the Life-giving Bread should be part of our spiritual diet. And we know that Jesus has been given Authority to offer it to us, so that we might be fed.  To reject Jesus's Bread, is in effect, living in spiritual malnutrition; and to reject His Healing and Deliverance. After all, His Bread is not a food to be eaten occasionally or leisurely, but is rather, a necessity to sustain spiritual Life.  

     But when it comes to the Church, they don't recognize the full implications of  "shepherding the flock"; that it includes guiding, guarding, keeping them in the fold, and feeding them (providing pasture). Ezekiel says, in Chapter 34, "The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them".

     See that "strengthening the weak, healing the sick, and bandaging the injured (wounded)"?  That's called Deliverance!  That's what Jesus did as the Good Shepherd!  And if you need to see it in the New Testament, Acts 20:28 says it, too:  Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care (feed/Deliver) for the church of God, which he obtained with His own blood.  Yet, the Church doesn't recognize Deliverance as part of their commitment to the flock.  But the saddest portion of this whole scenario is that the Church can't bring Deliverance to the world, without first being Delivered themselves, and they don't even realize it.

     The Syro-Phoenician woman was willing to accept the crumbs of the Life-giving Bread Jesus offered, knowing it would provide Deliverance and Healing for her daughter.  Today, too many Christians in the Body of Christ are in need of a few of those Life-giving crumbs themselves; their need for spiritual healing is that great.  But the shepherds of the flock aren't feeding them what they need, and they continue in their weakness, their sickness, and their wounds. No one is discipling the flock or looking for those who have strayed or who are lost. We are too interested in feeding ourselves with bread that has no spiritually nutritious value.  No matter how many of those crumbs we consume, they will never make us well.  It's time for the Church to seek true spiritual nourishment and true and complete healing.

      

      

     

My Passion For The Bible

     Want to get an idea of what typically happens when I sit down to write a blog post?  I receive ideas from several sources -- whether it be a podcast, an article I've read, or a discussion with fellow Christians -- but they all drive me to the Bible to see what God has to say on any given subject.  Such was the case, yesterday, when I found myself in a discussion with my husband about the importance of Luke 10:19, and how it pertains to our Kingdom work.

     As you can see, if you click on this link, different versions of the Bible give us different text and slightly different interpretations. (NOTE: the use of the word "authority" in the ESV and NASB Bibles when referring to what Jesus has given us to tread on serpents and scorpions, versus the use of the word "power" in the King James Bible). I will be writing on this important verse (and its consequences for us) in an upcoming blog, but for today, I want to share where my study took me.

     When I began to research the different words used and their meanings in the original context of the Biblical writers, I went to my trusty Strong's Concordance. And that's when my focus took a different direction.  I was fascinated with what I found and how it affected my theology, but I was also curious about why the different versions of the Bible used such different words to express the context of the verse. Consequently, it was important to know what version of the Bible my Strong's Concordance is based on, since it did not reference the use of the word "authority" for Luke 10:19, but rather, "power".  Since I now know that Strong's Concordance is an index of every word in the King James version of the Bible, it was interesting to discover new insights to Luke 10:19, and how the use of "power" instead of "authority" affects my theology.

     Let me start by saying that it is important that we understand what was said to the original audience; and what was the original, intended meaning of the text.  When you read the Bible, the question you should be asking yourself is, What is the point of the original author? That is called exegesis, a term I'm sure you have heard before.  Another word you've probably heard is hermeneutics, which is the study of the contemporary relevance of the ancient texts.  But here is where it gets dangerous ... while we all want to know what the Bible means for us today, we cannot make it mean whatever we want it to mean, and then claim it was the original intent, revealed by the Holy Spirit.  As Dr. Gordon D. Fee, a Christian theologian and Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Canada explains: A text cannot mean what it could never have meant for its original readers/hearers…the true meaning of the Biblical text for us is what God originally intended it to mean when it was first spoken or written. 
     I hope you're not getting bored!  I promise you this is going to get fascinating real quick!  Because I am always focused on authentic nterpretation of the Bible, I began to research history to find out just how the ancient manuscripts were first interpreted; how we ended up with our modern versions of the Bible; and just how reliable are they? Come along for the ride!
     Over 3400 years ago (1400 B.C.), the first Word of God was written by God, Himself.  He wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets and delivered them to Moses. It would be 900 years later (500 B.C.) that all the original Hebrew manuscripts of the 39 Books of the Old Testament were completed.  In 200 B.C., as the Greek Empire is being eclipsed by the emerging Roman Empire, the Old Testament (along with 14 Books of the Apochrypha) are translated into the Greek Septuagint (meaning "70" for the number of scholars who translated the Hebrew into Greek). It wouldn't be until the 1st Century A.D. that all the original Greek manuscripts that make up the 27 Books of the New Testament would be completed.
     In 315 A.D. the Bishop of Alexandria recognized the 27 Books of the New Testament which are today's Canon of Scripture.  Sixty-seven years later, in 382 A.D., Jerome produced his Latin Vulgate manuscripts, which are actually quite controversial for his paraphrastic style (meaning he translated in the vernacular, rather than a more critical translation of the Hebrew text. For the next 1,000 years of the Dark & Middle Ages, the Word was trapped in only Latin.

John Wycliffe

     Then, in 1384, along came John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the Scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered his bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!
     One of Wycliffe’s followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman Church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire.
     But it was the invention of the Gutenberg printing press in the 1450's that would eventually allow the Bible [and other books] to be effectively produced in large quantities in a short period of time. This would become essential to the success of the Reformation.
     In the 1490’s another Oxford professor, and the personal physician to King Henry the 7th and 8th, Thomas Linacre, decided to learn Greek. After reading the Gospels in Greek, and comparing it to the Latin Vulgate, he wrote in his diary, “Either this (the original Greek) is not the Gospel… or we are not Christians.” The Latin had become so corrupt that it no longer even preserved the message of the Gospel… yet the Church still threatened to kill anyone who read the scripture in any language other than Latin… though Latin was not an original language of the scriptures.
     Other faithful men like Oxford professor John Colet (1496) and the great scholar Erasmus (1516) translated the Bible from the more accurate and reliable Greek and published new versions of the Bible in English (Colet) and a Greek-Latin parallel Bible (Erasmus). The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy… and to translate them faithfully into the languages of the common people, whether that be English, German, or any other language.
     As history progresses, we see men like William Tyndale, who was the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language; and Martin Luther, who published a German Pentateuch in 1523, and another edition of the German New Testament in 1529. In the 1530’s he would go on to publish the entire Bible in German. Tyndale had been forced to flee England because of the wide-spread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway, causing inquisitors and bounty hunters to be constantly on Tyndale's trail to arrest him and prevent his project. God foiled their plans, and in 1525-1526 the Tyndale New Testament became the first printed edition of the scripture in the English language.
     While the Tyndale Bibles were burned as soon as the Bishop could confiscate them, copies trickled through, and actually ended up in the bedroom of King Henry VIII. The more the King and Bishop resisted its distribution, the more fascinated the public at large became. The church declared it contained thousands of errors as they torched hundreds of New Testaments confiscated by the clergy, while in fact, they burned them because they could find no errors at all. One risked death by burning if caught in mere possession of Tyndale's forbidden books.

William Tynedale

     Today, there are only two known copies left of Tyndale’s 1525-26 First Edition. Any copies printed prior to 1570 are extremely valuable. Tyndale's flight was an inspiration to freedom-loving Englishmen who drew courage from the 11 years that he was hunted. In the end, Tyndale was caught: betrayed by an Englishman that he had befriended. Tyndale was incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. Tyndale’s last words were, "Oh Lord, open the King of England’s eyes". This prayer would be answered just three years later in 1539, when King Henry VIII finally allowed, and even funded, the printing of an English Bible known as the “Great Bible”. But before that could happen…
     In 1535, Myles Coverdale printed the first complete Bible in the English language, making use of Luther's German text and the Latin as sources. Thus, the first complete English Bible was printed on October 4, 1535, and is known as the Coverdale Bible. But the English Bible wasn't out of danger yet.  History would see the reigns of King Henry VIII and the establishment of the Anglican Church, along with the reign of Queen “Bloody” Mary, who was the next obstacle to the printing of the Bible in English. She was possessed in her quest to return England to the Roman Church. In 1555, John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers (a disciple of Tyndales's) and Thomas Cranmer  (the Archbishop of Canterbury) were both burned at the stake. Mary went on to burn Reformers at the stake by the hundreds for the "crime" of being a Protestant.
     The Protestant exiles would congregate in Geneva, Switzerland under the protection of John Calvin and John Knox, both leaders of the Protestant Reformation.  It was there that the Church of Geneva determined to produce a Bible that would educate their families while they continued in exile.  The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters, so that referencing specific passages would be easier. Every chapter was also accompanied by extensive marginal notes and references so thorough and complete that the Geneva Bible is also considered the first English "Study Bible".
     By the 1580's, the Roman Catholic Church saw that it had lost the battle to suppress the will of God: that His Holy Word be available in the English language. In 1582, the Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and decided that if the Bible was to be available in English, they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English translation. And so, using the corrupt and inaccurate Latin Vulgate as the only source text, they went on to publish an English Bible with all the distortions and corruptions that Erasmus had revealed and warned of 75 years earlier. Because it was translated at the Roman Catholic College in the city of Rheims, it was known as the Rheims New Testament. The Douay Old Testament was translated by the Church of Rome in 1609 at the College in the city of Douay. The combined product is commonly referred to as the "Douay/Rheims" Version.
     In the early 16oo's, the "translation to end all translations" (for a while at least) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible had begun. From 1605 to 1606 the scholars engaged in private research. From 1607 to 1609 the work was assembled. In 1610 the work went to press, and in 1611 the first of the huge (16 inch tall) pulpit folios known today as "The 1611 King James Bible" came off the printing press.

The 1611 King James Bible

     The King James Bible turned out to be an excellent and accurate translation, and it became the most printed book in the history of the world, and the only book with one billion copies in print. In fact, for over 250 years...until the appearance of the English Revised Version of 1881-1885, the King James Version reigned without much of a rival. The King James Bible has the distinction of being the first English language Bible to be printed in America.
     But here is another fascinating set of facts ... Up until the 1880’s every Protestant Bible (not just Catholic Bibles) had 80 books, not 66! The inter-testamental books written hundreds of years before Christ called “The Apocrypha” were part of virtually every printing of the Tyndale-Matthews Bible, the Great Bible, the Bishops Bible, the Protestant Geneva Bible, and the King James Bible until their removal in the 1880’s! The original 1611 King James contained the Apocrypha, and King James threatened anyone who dared to print the Bible without the Apocrypha with heavy fines and a year in jail. Only for the last 120 years has the Protestant Church rejected these books, and removed them from their Bibles. This has left most modern-day Christians believing the popular myth that there is something “Roman Catholic” about the Apocrypha. There is, however, no truth in that myth, and no widely-accepted reason for the removal of the Apocrypha in the 1880’s has ever been officially issued by a mainline Protestant denomination.
     The 20th Century finds several new versions of the Bible coming into print -- the American Standard Version in 1901; and it wasn't until 1971 that it underwent a revision to become the New American Standard Version. This NASB version is considered by nearly all evangelical Christian scholars and translators today, to be the most accurate, word-for-word translation of the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures into the modern English language that has ever been produced. It remains the most popular version among theologians, professors, scholars, and seminary students today. Some, however, have taken issue with it because it is so direct and literal a translation (focused on accuracy), that it does not flow as easily in conversational English. (For me, the accuracy issue is the most fundamental; I don't demand that my Bible be an "easy read").
     The answer to the NASB Bible was the New International Version (NIV) which was designed not for “word-for-word” accuracy, but rather, for “phrase-for-phrase” accuracy, and ease of reading even at a Junior High-School reading level. It was meant to appeal to a broader (and in some instances less-educated) cross-section of the general public. But here is my problem with the NIV: there are several instances when the deity of Jesus is removed; for instance 1 Corinthians 15:47 reads, the second man is The Lord from heaven. The NIV reads, the second man is from heaven.  The NIV lowers Christ from being God’s SON and CHILD, to merely God’s SERVANT. (All believers are God’s servants).  This is evident in Acts 3:13 ... hath glorified His Son Jesus (KJV) versus has glorified his servant Jesus (NIV).  Also, the fact that Scriptures such as Matthew 18:11 and Luke 9:56 are eliminated in order to remove the statement that "the Son of Man is come to save those who are lost" is deeply troubling. There are many more changes that concern me, and believe me, I was firmly in the NIV camp for years, it being the first Bible that I seriously studied... but no more.  And I caution you about the latest version of the NIV, called Today's New International Version (TNIV), which seeks to remove all gender-specific references in the Bible whenever possible!

      As we look at the modern translations, the last few years have seen the advent of Study Bibles, some better than others.  But here is what I want us all to concentrate on ... As Christians, it is important for us to make wise decisions on which versions of the Bible that we depend upon to receive the best translation of God's Word.  And, yes, our critics will no doubt point to the various translation errors and say that is why we cannot trust the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God.  But the Word of God as revealed to man has remained unchanged from generation to generation, no matter how hard the Enemy has tried to corrupt it.  History shows us that God has always used men who were willing to die to see that His Word stayed true and authentic.  He has preserved His Word as a means to know Him and to worship Him. And just as He inspired the original writers to represent Him accurately, He can inspire us, who are sincerely seeking Him, to receive His true revelation.  No matter what version of the Bible you are reading, I recommend that you compare and contrast versions in your never-ending journey to know the God we serve.  The journey His Word has taken to get to us in the 21st Century is nothing less than miraculous.  It has survived for over 3400 years, and neither man nor devil has been able to destroy it.  May it forever be a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path!

Thank you to Greatsite.com for providing the historical facts of the Bible's timeline.  You can read a more detailed history of the facts I've given you, by clicking this link. 

If you are interested to know what versions of the Bible I consult in my personal study, I refer to the King James Bible, the Greek New Testament (by Kenneth Wuest), the Septuagint, the Complete Jewish Bible, the English Standard Version, the Geneva Bible, and the New American Standard Version. I am by no means stating that other versions are in error; these are just the versions that I find most useful for me.

Isaiah 40:8   "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever."

     

Is Your Faith A Verb Or A Noun?

   
     That's really a very important question if you are going to be effective in God's Kingdom on earth. Is your faith inactive or passive; something you say you "have"?  Or, is your faith a working, functioning part of who you are; something you "do"?
      I think first, we must come to an understanding of what "Faith" is, which involves unpacking the definition until we get to the very core or root of its meaning.  So bear with me for a moment, while I open up this gift of Faith from God and see what it's made of.
     I'm pretty sure that all Christians can agree that Faith involves trust, belief, and confidence in God [that He exists; is our Creator; is the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ; and that Jesus defeated the power of the devil at the Cross]. And "Belief" and "Faith" are often interchangeable in regard to our opinion of God. So, what does it mean "to believe"? I will submit to you that to believe something, one must be persuaded that it is true.  It is this persuasion of the truth that results in faith -- we believe because we are persuaded that God is real; that He sent His Son to pay the debt we owe; and our reward for being obedient to Christ is our eternal salvation.  But there's more!

     The Bible has a lot to say about Faith... Faith comes from what is heard [what is told], and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.  This verse illustrates what I meant by "persuasion that comes from the Truth" (God's Word). The Bible also says Without faith it is impossible to please Him. That implies obedience, doesn't it?  In other words, obedience is produced by our faith, and is an observable act or manner of conduct that is a result of having faith.
     Put in very simple terms, Faith is one way for God to recognize us [who belong to Him] apart from those who don't. And how is He able to do that?  By our actions! Yes, He is able to see into our hearts, but when we take action and obey God, it is visible evidence [to others] that we believe Him; that we trust Him.  Even more importantly, if we have true Faith in God, He has promised that we will receive His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:14). And with the Holy Spirit comes the power of God. And that power is not to sit idle!
     Let me present a series of thoughts around which we "ran a rabbit" at our Home Church this past Saturday... Can you agree with me that we receive the full measure of the Holy Spirit at the time that we come to Faith; in other words, that we get the full measure of His power when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior? By that, I mean that God doesn't give us just a little bit of Himself to see if we can tolerate the power; or to say, "As your faith grows, I'll deposit more of my Power in you".  No, He gave each of us the identical amount, and we are completely filled with the Holy Spirit. If your faith is growing, you are trusting more to call upon the Power within you.
     Now, let's consider how we use that Power; or if I may -- if how we apply it is, in any way, in relation to how much we trust and believe [or exercise our faith] in God.  We know by the examples of Hebrews, Chapter 11, and other stories in the Bible, that there are people who by their faith, do great things for the Kingdom of God... Abel offered a greater sacrifice than Cain; Enoch was taken to Eternity; Noah built an ark; Abraham left his ancestral lands for a land promised to his descendants; Moses answered the call of God to deliver the Israelites out of bondage; the Israelites celebrated the Lord's Feasts; Joshua led the people in bringing down the walls of Jericho; Rahab helped the Israelite spies to escape; Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego entered a fiery furnace; the Apostles were persecuted and martyred; and the early Christians went to their deaths in the Roman Coliseum.
     What do each of these people have in common? They received power from God to work on His behalf!  In the Old Testament examples, it was God taking action to work on behalf of His people by sending His Holy Spirit to accomplish His purpose. Now that we are part of a new covenant with God, He has put His power IN us that we might use it to accomplish His purpose on behalf of the Kingdom Jesus came to establish.  God took back the power that man gave to Satan in the Garden, and Jesus returned it to us through the Holy Spirit, so that by our faith we could keep the devil in defeat.
     So let me ask you this ... are you using that power that Jesus deposited in you?  Can you see that the measure by which you use that [full] power might be a measure of your faith?  Do you remember that Jesus said, if you have faith and do not doubt ... you [could] say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ [and] it will happen. Do you think you could do that by your own power? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit has enough power to do it? If you believe you have the full measure of the Holy Spirit in you, is it conceivable that you could accomplish this seemingly impossible command? But, if you doubt, then you will fail.
     Now consider the Apostles who we know received the full measure of power from Jesus. It was their faith that carried them through their trials and persecution, and through their horrendous deaths.  We must remember that they would not have been able to endure the suffering if not for the power of their faith, which was manifested in the power of the Holy Spirit in them.
     Paul told us this:  My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. It is very clear from this passage that our faith and God's power are connected through the Holy Spirit.  In fact, I would be willing to say that a primary aim of Paul's ministry was to point to Faith in [and by] the Power of God.
     So, can you see why it is so important that I keep hammering home the concept of our Power and Authority [given to us by Jesus Christ]?  We have His authority to use the Power of the Holy Spirit [in us] to continue the work He began.  And that can only happen if we have Faith in who He said He was, and who He said we are.  If you are having a difficult time believing this concept, then chances are your Faith is a noun.  You pray to God and wait for Him to do something.  But if your Faith is a verb, then you are likely exerting your Authority to call on the Power of the Holy Spirit to heal people, defeat their demons, and take the message of God's Kingdom [on earth, as it is in Heaven] to disbelievers. You know that God is glorified when you put your faith in action.
     But here's what often happens ... People of active (working) Faith scare and offend those who are stationary or ineffective in their Faith. They are threatened by us, because they are suspicious of our claims of Divine Power and Authority; and they are too frightened that the devil might defeat them if they try to use theirs.  If they could just understand that until Jesus returns, we are God's ambassadors; and He has given us the gift of Faith to use His Power to challenge the power of the Enemy!
     The last thing I want to leave you with, is this ... I promise you that it is just as Jesus told us: if we have even the faith of a mustard seed, nothing is impossible for us.  Even the smallest amount of faith has the power of the Holy Spirit attached to it.  But you have to do something with it!  You have to use it! A person with little faith has as much of the Holy Spirit as a person who has great faith.  The difference is that the one who displays greater faith has done the works that Jesus did ... anyone who believes in Me will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach].  
    We believe because we have been persuaded by the Truth of God's Word.  And that believing results in Faith; and with Faith we receive the Holy Spirit and His Power. And with that faith and power we are to demonstrate God's Power.  It's all about action; all about doing something to achieve a goal -- to stand against the wiles of the devil, thereby glorifying our God who gives us eternal life.  Here's the reality -- Faith is the bold, committed act of your will; your determination [and single-mindedness] to act on behalf of God and His Kingdom. Faith requires us to take action. Let your faith be a verb!

Romans 4:20   "But he did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and empowered by faith, giving glory to God"

Treading On Dangerous Ground

     It's not hard to see that there is much confusion in the modern Church.  You can find different portions of the Body of Christ suffering from compromise with the world; entertaining adultery and idolatry in their lack of spiritual and moral boundaries; committing works that are dead; or acting in conceit, pride, and arrogance.
    Sounds an awful lot like the indictments that Christ delivered to the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation concerning the First Century Churches, doesn't it?  It's as if the Holy Spirit has left those Church buildings; that Jesus has been moved away from being the central focus, and we are on the verge of no longer seeing Him as the Bible describes Him in these Last Days.
     I have felt for quite awhile now that the Church is out of balance between the Grace of God and the Wrath of God. By compromising with the world and the culture, the message of Grace has eclipsed any notion that we serve a God of Wrath.  In fact, oftentimes, only the message of Grace is taught, and God's only emotion in the New Testament is Love.  To be sure, God IS Love, and that is His holy and righteous nature.  But it is not His only prerogative when it comes to what He hates most: Sin.

Jesus, as Love and Grace

     But in our desire to be conciliatory or placating -- and let's face it, our desire to let ourselves off the hook by diminishing our sins -- we'd rather only see God as Grace and Love.  It helps us to sleep better at night.  Because we live in such a prosperous and self-centered culture, we are not satisfied with simple Grace.  We now have churches and Christians practicing what is called Hyper-Grace.
     So, your definition of Hyper-Grace may differ from mine, but here is what I mean when I use that term:  Hyper-Grace is a doctrine that stresses God's Mercy and Grace, while omitting the truth of His righteous Judgment and Wrath. The message that we receive is that the God of the Old Testament was a God of Wrath, but Jesus died on the Cross to bring us to confession and repentance of our sins so we can receive salvation by Grace.  But here's a logical question ... what do we need to be saved from?  Answer: God's Justice and His Wrath.
     We rightfully preach that our salvation is available only by the Grace of God. We certainly don't deserve His Grace and Mercy, or our Salvation. We are due Death! But the message of Hyper-Grace tells us God won't judge us, because He is limited by His Character and the nature of His Love. But how do you explain away Romans 2:5, which says, But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the Day of Wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed? Obviously, there is some future day when God is planning on punishing those who do not accept His gift of Grace and reject faith in Jesus Christ.
     Now, you might present the position that the Day of Wrath does not apply to Christians; that this is actually God's promise that we will be spared that horrific Day -- and I would agree with you.  But Hyper-Grace goes a step further and says that God would never exact eternal judgment upon those who reject Him, or send anyone to torment in hell. But that's not what the Bible says!  Jesus, Himself, tells us in Matthew 10:28:  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Seems pretty clear to me that our God has set some standards by which we must all live. In fact, in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Jesus emphasizes that there will be a Day of Judgment when all the nations will stand before Him and He will separate them into two groups ... some to go away to eternal punishment, and some [the righteous] to eternal life.  It is important that all men know that they must choose between Death and Life; Hell and Heaven.
     Churches that do not teach those Truths of the Bible do their congregations a great disservice.  I find it interesting that the German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, on the eve of Hitler's destruction of the Church in Germany, visited America and found our churches full of "cheap grace".  By that, he meant, as he wrote in The Cost of Discipleship, "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves [rather than a gift given to us by our Merciful God]. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate".
     I believe that adequately describes too many of America's churches today.  Far too many of our prosperous Church leaders preach a non-Biblical view of Sin.  Oh, they preach about the forgiveness of sin in Christ, but that's all about what Jesus does for us.  When was the last time you heard about your responsibility to take a stand against sin for Him? And if you dare to suggest that we are to take a closer look at the world and call out sin, then you are labeled as "legalistic" or called "a Pharisee". (Just try pointing out the sins involved with Freemasonry and find out how quickly people don't want to look at it or consider how it offends God).

Jesus, as Righteous Judge

     Then what about those churches who allow people to be in leadership positions who are living immoral lives? I cannot tell you how many times in our deliverance ministry we have run across sad stories of people being sexually exploited by ungodly and immoral pastors or teachers.  There is no accountability for such perverse actions and God's Grace literally becomes a "Get out of Jail Free card".
      Churches that practice Hyper-Grace will often relegate members who believe in balancing the traditional teachings of God's Grace [with the truth of His Judgment and Wrath] as part of the "Old Paradigm" of Believers; claiming that a "New Paradigm" is emerging -- one that replaces the strict standards of the Old Testament with a message that Grace comes with neither cost on our part, nor responsibility.
     Finally, another aspect of Hyper-Grace Churches is the continual message that God is only about wanting the best for you. His Grace will afford you health, wealth, prosperity, forgiveness of sin, and success in life. While these feel-good messages fill church auditoriums and coffee bars, they don't teach the "whole counsel of God" -- which, yes, includes Grace, but also Judgment and Hell. So, if a church's "mission statement" only focuses on God's Grace and the belief that God will eventually save all people, regardless of whether a person accepts or rejects Jesus as their Savior, then it is in clear violation of the Word of God.
     In fact, it finds any Scripture that alludes to God's Righteous Judgment or Wrath as offensive, and you will most likely never hear it mentioned from the pulpit. And by doing that, Churches that espouse Hyper-Grace are misrepresenting the Bible and treading on dangerous ground. Romans 1:18 makes it very clear: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the Truth. 
     There you have it: Hyper-Grace is not Biblical, nor, in the long run, beneficial for men's souls. I encourage you to know what the Bible says about both Grace and Wrath.  You don't want to be deceived, nor to deceive others. Within God's Character is His ability to grant Grace OR Judgment and Wrath. Be sure you know that the Bible affirms this. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, God's Grace cost Him the life of His Son. And what it cost God should not be treated as cheap by us. Remember, Jesus bore God's Wrath for us, and there will come a day when He returns to judge all the wicked and evil of the earth.  God says, "Vengeance is Mine", and make no mistake ... there will be vengeance and His Wrath will be evident upon the earth. But Jesus will spare us [who believed in Him] on the Day of Wrath; showing His righteous indignation and making known His power to those who rejected Him. And the world will mourn.

John 3:36   "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the Wrath of God remains on him". 

   
     

Proverbs 25:2

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,

But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

     I love this Scripture!  I love it because it shows God's heart and how He wants us to seek Him.  I have heard so many people (both Christians and non-believers) say that the Bible is just too hard for them to understand... that when they read it, it doesn't make any sense to them.  And unfortunately, too many stop right there, and never make another attempt to know their Creator.  

     Because it is hard, they look for easier ways to discover who He is.  And because He has such holy standards for who He wants us to be, they often look for alternative impressions of His character, using sources outside His Word to define Him. But I assert that we should all be like Solomon, who wrote this proverb out of the wisdom and knowledge that God gave him.

     Remember that King Solomon, when asked by God, what He could give him, did not ask for possessions, wealth, honor, the lives of his enemies, or even for long life.  He asked for "wisdom and knowledge" to rule the people over whom God had given him responsibility. "Wisdom" is the Hebrew word, Chokmah, and it means "the knowledge and ability to make the right choices at the opportune time".  The consistency of making the right choice is an indication of maturity and development in a person.  The prerequisite for "wisdom" is the fear [awe, reverence] of the Lord.  When a person seeks Chokmah diligently, they will receive understanding.

     The understanding they receive is the "Knowledge" that Solomon asked for.  And knowledge is the Hebrew word, Yada", which means "to know" God and to have an intimate experiential understanding of Him; that you have a relationship with Him based on experience and observation.  It goes without saying that to "experience or observe" something or Someone, involves action on your part; namely "seeking". 

     And here is what is essential for us to grasp: the heart plays an important role in getting "to know" God.  When our hearts yearn to seek Him, we grow into fearing Him, trusting Him, and serving Him. So what Solomon is imparting to us in Proverbs 25 is this:  It is the glory of God to conceal a matter ... It gives God more glory when He, in essence, "hides" His Truth in Scripture, so that we have to decide just how hungry we are to seek it out. Because you and I need to discern that with the knowledge of God comes responsibility to Him and to others.  We must represent Him in sincerity and truth, while showing others the benefits of seeking Him and a heartfelt relationship with Him -- while holding ourselves and them accountable for sharing that knowledge.

     Then there is the other aspect of this Proverb: It is the glory of kings to search out a matter.  Revelation 1:6 tells us that Jesus "formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], priests to His God and Father".  We need to realize that we have been given legal access to this knowledge about our Father in Heaven; it is due us as kings and priests of His kingdom. The mysteries of Heaven and God are ours to receive when we diligently seek Him.  Matthew 13:11 tell us this fact: "To you [the Believer] it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them [unbelievers] it has not been granted." 

     That "hidden" knowledge that many complain about is there for the true Believer to discover as part of our inheritance as kings and priests, sons and daughters of God. But it depends on how hungry your heart is. God has given us an appetite for Him; it's in our DNA. But how many of us will strive -- in other words, struggle or make a great effort -- to understand Him? What is knowing Him worth to you?  I assure you that it will be credited to us if we hunger and thirst to search out the matters of God; and it will greatly please Him to reveal them to us.  Because in the end, it is all about His glory and power and majesty and dominion ... forever and ever. Amen.