(You can listen to this study by audio, and you can pause the audio to follow page links, then resume when you are ready. Please note that I use page links in lieu of references or footnotes for important details of this teaching.)

THE PROMISE OF GOD

The Bible verse you are about to read, from the Books of Numbers and Joshua, are

• • • Actual events,
    • Prophetic instructions for all believers in Christ Jesus for all the ages, and they are
    • A prophecy to be fulfilled in these Last Days.

These prophecies must be studied by prayer and fasting. Neglecting the significance of these verses, is to your peril.

God promised Moses and the Israelites a land that was flowing with milk and honey as an  inheritance. The same is true for the Christ follower, today.

The short version of this story is that Joshua, Caleb and 10 other spies reconnoitered the land and found it was indeed rich with all the promises of God.

THE PROMISE

On their return, Caleb told the assembly that “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it”.

The SIN of FEAR and DOUBT

However, the spies other than Joshua and Caleb brought a report of doubt, fear and rejection saying it would be impossible to defeat the inhabitants of that land.

This negative report of fear caused the entire nation to draw back and demand of Moses that they go back to the familiarity of Egypt.

THE PENALTY of SIN

God condemned that generation to die in the wilderness as mere shepherds of flocks and in the end, they would die, homeless, and “their corpses would lie in the desert”.

THE DREAM DELAYED

The Israelites did not see the opportunity of God’s Promise through God’s eyes. They were blinded by fear. They had their eyes fixed on the problems in the land and not on the Promises of God. They saw the impossibilities and rejected the possibility of possessing the Promises of God.

THE PROMISED DELAYED

The dream died and so did the people.  The promises were forestalled for a future generation of people of faith. This is a prophetic truth for all ages.

Their descendants did obey God and inherited that Promised Land.  And, Joshua warned them that if they turned away from God, He would bring upon them all the threats, until He has destroyed them from off the good land which He had given them. “When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”

A PROPHECY FOR TODAY

We, in America, are face with a similar scenario, after many years in the land, we have transgressed our covenant and we have turned away from our God.  Now, an enemy has invaded our land and God is threatening to remove us. We are shrinking back and surrendering the land God has given to us.

This did not begin at the National level. It began in our personal lives, in our homes and with our families.  It has crept into our churches, our schools and finally into our government. It began with our neglect of God. Then, fear set in and evil now rules our once great nation.

And now, just as the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, we here in America must do the same – or perish.

1.  We must take up “twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan”, just as the LORDspoke to Joshua.

The Number TWELVE, typically means perfection or authority, often used in a context of government. For instance, because Jacob has 12 sons, they form the 12 tribes of Israel. There are also 12 minor prophets that ‘dot the text’ of the Old Testament.

The number TWELVE makes a special appearance in Revelation, showing the authority and perfection of God’s kingdom

(TWELVE, more often than not, tends to represent the outcome of something good. The new Jerusalem, for instance, is replete with the number TWELVE (12 stars in a crown, 12 gates, 12 angels, 12 foundations, 12 Apostles, 12 pearls, 12 kinds of fruit, 12 furlongs measurement of the city.)

Jesus spoke, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Jesus then summoned His disciples and gave them authority.

 Likewise, we are to take authority by the Great Name of Jesus He will, through us, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to prisoners, and to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God;  God will grant those who mourn a garland instead of ashes, oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.  Then we will be called oaks of righteousness,

We will be the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Then we will rebuild the ancient ruins, we will raise up the former devastations; and we will repair the ruined cities and the desolations of these many generations.

2.  Just as Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, so are we to become firmly established in His Name and in His Cause.

We are to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  We must have put on the full armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

For our struggle is against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, we will take up the full armor of God, and resist evil, and we will stand firm.

Now is the day, like the day of Joshua, we must hurry and cross our ‘Jordan’ which is the demarcation between living in the Kingdom of God and perishing.  We remain within the our ark of salvation, which is Jesus, dressed in battle array, equipped for war, going for battle before the LORD to the desert plains of Jericho.

OBEDIENCE

Numbers 13:1, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying, Verse 2, “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” Verse 3. So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD,

Numbers 13:25, “When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, verse 26, they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. Verse 27. Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

OBSERVATION

Verse 28. “Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Verse 29. “Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

ENCOURAGEMENT

Verse 30. “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

OBSTINENT FEAR

Verse 31. But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” Verse 32. So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. Verse 33. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

DEFIANT REBELLION

Numbers 14:1. “Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. Verse 2. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Verse 3. “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” Verse 4. So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”

Numbers 14:26. “The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, Verse 27, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. Verse 28. “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; Verse 29, your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. Verse 30. ‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. Verse 31. ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. Verse 32. ‘But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Verse 33. ‘Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. Verse 34. ‘According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition. Verse 35. ‘I, the LORD, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die.’”

THE PROMISE PURSUED

Joshua 1:10 “Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, verse 11, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it.’”

Verse 12. “To the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, verse 13, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ Verse 14. “Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, verse 15, until the LORD gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

Verse 16. “They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Verse 17. “Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses. Verse 18. “Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”

Joshua 3:1. “Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. Verse 2. At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; verse 3, and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Verse 4. “However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”

Verse 5. “Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” Verse 6. And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

OBEDIENCE – THE PROMISE DELIVERED

Joshua 4:8. “Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the LORD spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there. Verse 9. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day. Verse 10. For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the LORD had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed; verse 11, and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed before the people. Verse 12. The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; verse 13, about 40,000 equipped for war, crossed for battle before the LORD to the desert plains of Jericho. Verse 14. “On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life.”

You can read “the rest of the story” yourself.  Joshua and Caleb and the Israelites, over a period of many years and through many battles, capture the Promised Land.

Finally, read this part of Joshua’s old-age farewell address:

THE PROPHECY AND PROMISE FOR TODAY

Joshua 23:14 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. Verse 15. “It shall come about that just as all the good words which the LORD your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the threats, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you. Verse 16. “When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”

I pray we all meditate on this, ruminate on it, let is seep deep within our minds and hearts, so His Word is fulfilled in and through us and we can experience and do all that He has promised.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(You can listen to this study by audio, and you can pause the audio to follow page links, then resume when you are ready. Please note that I use page links in lieu of references or footnotes for important details of this teaching.)

What’s in a name?  Well, when it comes to God – everything.

Joshua:  Comes from the two Hebrew words (1) Jehovah= “the existing One”  (2)  To save, be saved, be delivered, to be liberated, to be saved (in battle), be victorious to save, deliver from moral troubles, to give victory to.

Why is this important?  Because God, through His written Word, gives us prophecies.  Some come as a warning.  Some come as a promise.  Either way, prophecies give the Believer a chance to order his or her life accordingly.  It can the difference between life and death or between success and ruin.  The consequences or blessings can be temporal or eternal.

The Book of Joshua gives us both, God’s warnings and God’s promises, and it is supremely prophetic.

These verses, when read with the correct understanding, are able to lead you to a source which contains an unimaginable power, and explosive power.  And, this power can radically and thoroughly transform your life and your experience.  When the work of this Prophetic Word is accomplished, you would hardly recognize the person you were beforehand.

Your circumstances will miraculously conform, (yes, miraculously conform), to reflect the changes that will have taken place within you.  Even your family and friends will wonder what happened to the person they once knew, who now goes about in your name.

Read these verses from Joshua, with me, considering them in the model of The Trinity of God:  The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.  As God is Three, so we will find The Trinity in His Word:  The physical (soma), the soul (pseuche – mind, will and emotions) and the Spirit (Pneuma).

For the purpose of this study, I will enter the verse, then, I will enter ‘subscripts’ from the Hebrew language, so we can get a deeper and clearer meaning of the text, then I will enter the terms using a lexicon or bible dictionary for further clarification and understanding.  (All this is taken from Strong’s Bible Concordance).

NOTE:  This can be a difficult undertaking requiring much prayer, study and meditation on God’s Word.  This process will become clearer as we read and pray for understanding and wisdom.  But, make no mistake, the results will be astounding.

Here is a prophetic word and an encouragement for all of Christ’s followers, today.  Take this word, trust it, do it, share it.

THUS SAYS THE LORD – JOSHUA, CHAPTER 1 –

Joshua was a “type” of the prophesied Messiah, a foreshadowing of the coming Savior.  Joshua Chapter 1 verses 1 – 4, not only gives us a mighty picture of conquest, victory and salvation, but a prophecy, applicable both to the coming Messiah (Jesus) and for our daily lives.  This still rings true and is for you and for me to DO and to BE, TODAY. 

VERSE 1

The Verse:   1, “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,

The Prophetic Transcription:  Gods says, I will draw you out of your current circumstances.  God says I will cause you to rise up and become powerful, you will endure to the end, you will pass over all difficulties, as you lay prostrate before me, you will be saved.

Your ​Application:  The old way of drawing you out of your former life, is dead; now therefore rise up, now,  and come into The enduring power, and you cross over from this descended position of being lost without hope to an Eternal Hope in Christ.

VERSE 2

The Verse:  2, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

The Prophetic Transcription:  You are become the sons and daughters of God, I am to build you, to establish you. God prevails, God is mighty, God is giving you His Strength.

Your ​Application: You and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the eternal sons of God, prevail, you are now made mighty by God in His strength

VERSE 3

The Verse:  3. “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.

The Prophetic Transcription:“Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.  All, in totality, as you bow yourself down before God, walking in His Spirit, every place your foot treads, is yours – you have victory and dominion in Him.​

Your ​Application:  Every place and everything you touch, bow yourself to God, and the touch of God will grant you dominion in all circumstances.

VERSE 4

The Verse:  4. “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.

The Prophetic Transcription:  “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates,

From the time you lived in wilderness, and the speech of your mouth was dead, I, God, purify and give life to your heart and your mind, and you break forth in fruitfulness.

All the place of terror, the low places that come to you and that you to enter in, God gives you dominion over”

​ Your ​Application:From the time you were wild in your imaginations, without a heart, a living spirit within you or a mind, until God broke forth and gave you a fruitful heart and gives you a mind, an awareness of Him and in Him; you have dominion over all the terrors and low places you encounter in your life until you enter into His Kingdom of eternity, all of this is yours

VERSE 5 

The Verse:  5. “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

The Prophetic Transcription:  No man of any kind, neither great nor powerful, without exception, can stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you;

Your ​Application:  You will not sink down today. I will not relax on your behalf.  You  will not drop back, you will not be disheartened.  You will know that I am always with you and I never forsake you, nor will I let you be alone, I never show slack.

VERSE 6 

The Verse:  6. “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

The Prophetic Transcription:  Be strong and take hold of my strength, and be strengthened, hardened, and prevail.  Be encouraged, and secure even obstinate in your assurance for I am making you superior in your strength.  Again I say, you are strong.

The Application:  You have already inherited this.  The land is now yours, that is all the earth.  This is the oath, My Oath, which I swore to your fathers.  Now, you possess it.

Note:   

• • • “The Verse” is from the New American Standard Bible version of the Bible;  
    • “The Prophetic Transcription” is translated from the Hebrew language with all the detail and nuances of written within the words;
    • “Your Application” is the “Prophetic Transcription” to be applied to your life.

Act on this Word and you will see the Spirit of God move on your life and circumstances.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

 

(You can listen to this study by audio, and you can pause the audio to follow page links, then resume when you are ready. Please note that I use page links in lieu of references or footnotes for important details of this teaching.)

New King James Version, Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

New American Standard Bible, Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.

NASB 1995, Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Strong’s Concordance:

FAITH, faithfulness: ‘pistis’

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine.
Transliteration: pistis.
Phonetic Spelling: (pis’-tis).
Definition: faith, faithfulness.
Usage: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

HELPS Word-studies

From Strong’s Concordance #4102, the Greek word, ‘pístis’. which comes from the word, ‘peithô’, means, to “persuade, or to be persuaded”. More correctly, it means persuasion; to be persuaded, to come to trust.

1. Faith, ‘pistis’,is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, ‘pistis’,(“faith”) for the believer, is “God’s divine persuasion“, and is therefore distinct from human belief, or human confidence, yet it involves it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. it is the persuasion of His will in the believer. (1 John 5:4).

“Pistis’, faith, in secular antiquity, was referred to as a guarantee, a warranty. In Scripture, faith is God’s warranty, certifies that the revelation He births in a believer will come to pass, His way.

Pistis faith, is also used collectively, seen in all the times that God has revealed, or given the persuasion of His will, which includes the full revelation of Scripture, (see Jude 3). Indeed, God the Lord guarantees that all of this revelation will come to pass! (Compare Mt 5:18 with 2 Tim 3:16).

‘Pistis’ Faith is always received from God, and never generated by us.

Romans 12:3 says, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith,”. 

Ephesians 2:8,9, says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast”.

Gal 5:22,23, says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Reflection: Faith is given, exclusively, to the redeemed. It is not a virtue that can be worked up by human effort.

2. ‘Pistis’, Faith,enables the believer to know God’s preferred-will Accordingly, faith and “God’s preferred-will,(Strong’s #2307, ‘thelçma’) are directly connected in Scripture.

2 Romans 12:2,3, says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will, of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Hebrews 10:36,38, says, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

“BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM”.

1 John 5:4: “For whatever is born of God conquers the world; and this is the conquest that has conquered the world, our faith.”

3. In sum, ‘Pistis’, faith,is a persuasion from God that we receive as He grants impulse. Faith is always the work of God and involves hearing His voice, whereby, the believer lays hold of God’s preferred-will, (J. Calvin).

More on what faith is and isn’t

•  In Scripture, faith and belief are not exactly the same. Faith always comes from God and involves His revelation therefore faith is beyond belief!
• Faith is God’s work; faith is never the work of people. We cannot produce faith ourselves, nor can we “drum it up at will.” Rather, faith comes as Christ speaks His rhçma-word within (see Ro 10:17, Gk text).
• In all of Scripture, only the term faith is ever used in the following way: Ro 14:23: Whatever is not of faith(4102/pistis) is sin.” Heb 11:6: “And without faith (4102/pistis) it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (NASU).

Reflection: Nothing quite like this two-fold witness appears elsewhere in the Bible. These sweeping statements sober the heart and inspire the soul!

Key quotes

“Faith always pre-supposes revelation” (W. H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis, 55).

“Faith is always a response to a divine revelation” (W. H. Griffith Thomas, Hebrews, 143).

“Faith, both in its initiation and every step of the way, is Spirit given . Faith is God given” (W. Hendriksen, Galatians, 197).

“Faith precedes works, and is not something merely deduced by reason of existing” (D. Edmond Hiebert, Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians 1:11).

“Faith is always a gift of God” (L. Morris, John, p 520). “The basis of faith is God’s revelation of Himself . Christianity came to be seen as a faith event” (O. Michel, Dictionary of New Testament Theology).

“Faith is the divine response, wrought in man, by God” (from Berkof’s Systematic Theology, representing the views of Barth and Brunner).

“Faith always has the element of assurance, certainty and confidence, and evidential value substantiating the thing we hope for. With faith, there is no strain or tension; rather, it has the element of assurance and confidence in it. If there is strain or tension, that is, by trying to persuade yourself to keep from doubting, you can be quite sure that it is not faith. Faith is not the law of mathematical probability; faith is not natural; faith is spiritual and is the gift of God. You cannot command faith at will, faith is always something that is given, it is in-wrought by God; therefore, if you want to be a man of faith, it will always be the result of becoming a certain type of person” (M. Lloyd Jones, Romans, Romans 4:18-25).

“Faith is the divinely given conviction of things unseen” (Homer Kent Jr., Hebrews, 217, quoting Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 2, 476).

“Faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible order” (F.

1. Bruce, Hebrews, 279).

“Right faith is a thing wrought in us by the Holy Spirit” (William Tyndale).

“We have made faith a condition of mind, when it is a divinely imparted grace of the heart. We can receive faith only as he gives it, but, you cannot manufacture faith, you can not work it up. You can believe a promise, and at the same time not have the faith to appropriate it. Genuine, Scriptural faith is not our ability to ‘count it done,’ but is the deep consciousness divinely imparted to the heart of man that it is done, it is the faith that only God can give. Do not struggle in the power of the will.  What a mistake it is to take our belief in God and call of faith.  Christ, the living word, is our sufficiency. (Charles Price, The Real Faith, Logos/publications).

Summary

Belief and faith are not exactly equivalent terms. When Jesus told people, “Your faith has made you well,” faith was still His gift (Ephesians 2:8,9). Any gift however, once received, becomes the “possession” of the recipient. Faith however is always from God and is purely His work (2 Thessalonians 1:11).

Note: The Greek definite article is uniformly used in the expressions “your faith,” or, “their faith”, (which occur over 30 times in the Greek NT). This genitive construction with the article refers to “the principle of faith (operating in) you” – not “your faith” in the sense that faith is ever generated by the recipient.

Reflection: Demons believe (and shudder), but they do not have, i.e., they do not experience faith!

James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder“.

(Note: the foregoing, in majority, is taken from Biblehub.com).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Matthew 21:21, 22, informs and instructs us, “And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.”

Let’s, by faith, join God in the Spiritual Battle of these Last Days. Let’s gird up, take up our Sword and Shield, and put the enemy to flight!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Deleted: The word ‘faith’ occurs in scriptures over 230 times (NASB). Here are just a few of those verses

Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.

This word ‘pride’ is a profanity in the Hebrew language. It refers to being heedless and presumptive, unable to submit oneself to authority, as contrasted to living by faith which requires humility and subjection to God, alone.

Matthew 6:30
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Matthew is reminding us of the natiure of God, YAWEH YIREH or Jehova Jireh, ‘the Lord wil provide’ or ‘God is my provider. Unless we diligently seek the provions of God we err and our faith grows weak.

Matthew 8:10
But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.

The centurion shows wisdom and understanding regarding faith. He understands that faith comes from one with sup

Matthew 8:26
He *said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.

Learn here, that as you exercise your faith, fear will fade away. Inordinare fear is a litmus test of faith.

Matthew 9:2
And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

When hope is found in a hopeless situation, take courage. Your salvation is near, in Christ. Don’t just ‘know about’ Him; Know Him.

Matthew 9:22
But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

Again, in hopeless circumstances or difficult situations, always take courage, put your faith in Jesus and you will be made ‘well’. You must PRACTICE these things persistently and with endurance and your faith will grow.

Matthew 9:29
Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.”

This statement is either of great comfort or can bring distress, depending on your faith. If at first you don’t succeed, endure. PRACTICE these things persistently and with endurance and your faith will grow.

Matthew 14:28-31
Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Jesus frequently tells us to ‘take courage’. Peter took courage and in faith, walked on the water. Then doubt crept in and his faith failed him. We must always stay focused on our Hope, the object of our faith.  Practice this.

Matthew 15:28
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.

Matthew 16:8
But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?

Matthew 17:20
And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

Matthew 21:21
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.

Mark 2:5
And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Mark 4:40
And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 5:34
And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

Mark 10:52
And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

Mark 11:22
And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.

Thus says the Lord. Amen and Amen!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

The following chapters in this series are Biblical teaching on the exercising of your faith and the outcomes. This is not just for reading, but, for you and me to learn to exercise our faith and to see these outcomes in our own lives.

Go to, Episode 3 – NOW FAITH

(You can listen to this study by audio, and you can pause the audio to follow page links, then resume when you are ready. Please note that I use page links in lieu of references or footnotes for important details of this teaching.)

One dictionary defines the word ‘fool’ as, “a person lacking in judgment or prudence”.

The Bible says, Fools despise wisdom and instruction and that the complacency of fools will destroy them.

The Bible says, Foolishness is boisterous, she has a lack of understanding and knows nothing.

The Bible says, With the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

The Bible says,  Fools die for lack of understanding and a companion of fools will suffer harm.

The Bible says, A fool is arrogant and careless, and mocks at sin.

The Bible says, Therefore, you have no excuse, you foolish person, every one of you who passes judgment; for in that matter in which you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice those very things.

And as you can see, fools have many ways of expressing their foolishness which brings destruction. But, God has called us to this Spiritual battle, and He has willed, that by doing right you will silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Please click the links below for more reading on this important matter and for some relevant videos which will inform, instruct, inspire and ignite you to action!

Enemies Within the Church – How to Confront Fools within the Church.

Marxism in the Church – How to Confront religious humanists and religious Marxists.

Ship Wrecked – Damage Caused by Fools in the Church.

Confronting Evil in our day – Confronting Fools in the world.

Not of This World – Christians are foreigners in a foreign land.

Ephesians 5:17, instructs us, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

1 Peter 2:15, tells us, as Christians, “For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

This is our calling!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(You can listen to this article via this podcast audio, and, pause the audio to follow important page links, then, resume the audio when you are ready. Please note that I use page links critical to this article in lieu of references and footnotes.)

(The following is an opinion piece written by, Dr. Curtis W. Freeman, Commentary, Times Union, June 21, 2018)

“The Bible verse “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1) has joined “Let your women keep silence in the churches” (1 Corinthians 14:34) and “Slaves obey your earthly masters” (Ephesians 6:5) as one of the most abused passages of scripture in history. There is a long history of misusing this text to argue that Christians are always duty-bound to obey the civil authorities. This past week U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions added his name to that history.

“According to this absolutist view, to resist the civil authorities is to oppose God. God, it is argued, appointed government both to punish wrongdoers and promote good. Civil and religious leaders across the political and ecclesial spectrum have widely invoked this interpretation as a theological weapon, ascribing punishment and damnation to dissenters.

“Based on this reading of Romans 13, evangelical Christians in Germany during the Third Reich believed they could question political authorities only if they were forbidden from preaching and practicing their faith. So they said nothing. As the regime’s evils mounted, these people of faith remained silent and deaf to the cries of the oppressed. That history is grounds for suspicion that absolute obedience to civil government is neither wise nor warranted.

“Paul himself did not obey civil authority. Nor did he suggest that the state and its officials must always and absolutely be obeyed. He recognized that the power of law can be used for justice or for injustice and evil. So he urged his readers to be subject insofar as conscience allows (Romans 13:5). Eventually his own conscience got him in conflict with Roman authorities, for which he was imprisoned and finally put to death at their hands.

“When Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, because he violated laws that were being used to maintain policies of racial discrimination and segregation, he wrote a letter to white ministers explaining his use of nonviolent direct action. He wrote, “One may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.'”

“Romans 13 is not a manifesto on the divinely ordained power of the state, and it does not call for absolute obedience to civil authorities. Instead it offers a provisional account of the limits of civil authority for all people of conscience.

“By invoking Romans 13 as calling for absolute obedience to civil magistrates, Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration have embarked on a highly problematic path. They are standing on unstable ground that has been used as a license for tyrants and a justification for abuse. In doing so they invite people of conscience not only to oppose but to disobey unjust laws.

“I urge those who would stop reading Romans 13 at verse one to continue a little further. There they will discover that the true civic duty is not blind obedience to civil authority but love for God and neighbor. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law,” Paul wrote (Romans 13:10). Let’s start with love.”

—————————————————

(Book review and synopsis on “Undomesticated Dissent: Democracy and the Public Virtue of Religious Nonconformity.”)

“Curtis W. Freeman is a research professor of theology and director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke University Divinity School. He is also the author of “Undomesticated Dissent: Democracy and the Public Virtue of Religious Nonconformity.” Undomesticated Dissent provides a sweeping intellectual history of the public virtue of religiously motivated dissent from the seventeenth century to the present, by carefully comparing, contrasting, and then weighing the various types of dissent, evangelical and spiritual dissent (Bunyan), economic and social dissent (Defoe), radical and apocalyptic dissent (Blake).

“Freeman offers dissenting imagination as a generative source for democracy, as well as a force for resistance to the coercive powers of domestication. By placing Bunyan, Defoe, and Blake within an extended argument about the nature and ends of democracy,  Undomesticated Dissent reveals how these three men transmitted their democratic ideas across the globe, hidden within the text of their stories.

”Freeman concludes that dissent, so crucial to the establishing of democracy, remains equally essential for its flourishing. Buried deep in their full narrative of religion and resistance, the three monuments at Bunhill together declare that dissent is not disloyalty, and that democracy depends on dissent.”

Although Freeman makes some good points, carefully comparing, contrasting, and then weighing the various types of dissent, evangelical and spiritual dissent, economic and social dissent, radical and apocalyptic dissent, it seems sadly obvious to me that exposes himself as a liberal-leaning research professor of theology, standing in judgement on the Word of God as he crosses too many Biblical and theological lines when he conjoins

Romans 13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities”,

with

1 Corinthians 14:34, “Let your women keep silence in the churches”,

and

Ephesians 6:5, “Slaves obey your earthly masters” as being “one of the most abused passages of scripture in history”, to argue that there “seems to here is a long history of misusing this text to argue that Christians are always duty-bound to obey the civil authorities”.

It is apparent that he does this in order to make his point that, “There is a long history of misusing this text to argue that Christians are always duty-bound to obey the civil authorities,”, since 1 Corinthians 14:34 and Ephesians 6:5 have nothing to do with the matter of civil authorities. It is the slick literary trick of eisegesis to sublimely give the context of these scriptures into a completely different meaning carrying a liberal ideology. This also brings to question whether Dr. Curtis W. Freeman, a highly respected, capable and qualified professor, is equally unqualified to exegete scriptures.

Scriptures must be read at ‘face value’ and understood in the context in which they were written. Neither the passage of time nor societal or cultural shifts, change the meaning and the truth of God’s Word. Freeman violates all these standards for political expediency and profit.

But, Freeman is right on this one point: dissent is crucial to the establishing and the flourishing of democracy. Religion, resistance and dissent is not disloyalty, and in fact, democracy depends on dissent.

NOW, LET’S THINK, TOGETHER

Here is the Bible text in question:

Romans 13:1-10, “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Pay to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.”

First, and most importantly, is for the reader to get the context of these verses. Verses 1 through 5 seem to be a manifesto on the divinely ordained power of the state, and seems to call for absolute obedience to civil authorities, and seems to be calling for absolute obedience to civil magistrates at any and all costs.

But, if you will read the preceding chapter, (12), and continue reading in chapter 13, you will find the context is actually about “present(ing) your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This is truly The Great Spiritual Law of Non-Conformity stemming from the fact that we, as Christians, are not “of this world”, we are merely “in this world”. A colloquial way of saying it could be, “you are to slip in among them and don’t create a stir or an unnecessary distraction. When you draw attention to Christ, and that will be enough of a stir of its own”.

Secondly, many times, the construct of government, being established by God, is a reflection of our own selfish disobedience to God and His Word. In other words, the government is largely a reflection of those who voted it into power.

Read Psalm 81:11-12,

“My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk by their own plans. “

Also, read Hosea 13: 9-11,

“It is to your own destruction, Israel, that you are against Me, against your help. Where then is your king, that he might save you in all your cities; and your judges, to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”? I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath.”

And, Romans 1:28-32 

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, so, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.”

Thirdly, the Apostles had it right when, in Acts 5:29, “Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Getting back to the idea that there is a ‘moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws’, there really is no way to compare or contrast a Christian’s obligation to obey man’s laws versus his or her mission on earth as an emissary of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21, tells us that, “If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be in in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Romans 13 is clear on these three points:

1. It is an accurate description of the placement of, the responsibility of and the benefits of civil authority. It also describes the possible consequences of disobeying civil authority.
2. It is a warning and a guide for Christians navigating the maze of laws set down by earthly governments, while accomplishing our primary task as ‘pilgrims of the Dispersion’, ambassadors for Christ.
3. It is a clear lesson the on counter-cultural and non-conformity nature of The Body of Christ while living, scattered, as aliens, exiles, sojourners and soldiers of God, invading a foreign soil for the purposes of Christ.

In Summary, Christians have a calling and a mission, above all else, to “go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that Jesus has commanded”.

All the while, as we work to accomplish our mission, we must be careful not to entangle ourselves in the affairs of this world, while and at the same time, obeying God’s laws over man’s laws, when they come into conflict.

This is truly a God-sized task which only God can accomplish – and He has chosen to do so, through the yielded servant of Christ.

Let’s be one and get this done!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

 

 

 

Want to know ‘how much you know about what it means to ‘Be a Christian’? Take this short quiz and find out!

1. Why did Jesus come to earth?                                            
2. What is Jesus’ mission?                                                        
3. What is Jesus’ ministry?                                                       
4. What is Jesus’ purpose?                                                        
5. What is Jesus’ method?                                                         
6. BONUS question: Why are you on earth?                          

(Answers below. Give yourself 25 points for each correct, or nearly correct answer and 10 points for the BONUS question.. Have fun. And, yes, you may ‘grade on a curve’.)

 

Why did Jesus come to earth?

For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. John 18:37

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

What is Jesus’ mission?

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. John 4:34

1 Peter 2:15 “For such is the will of God, that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”

THE WILL OF GOD:

(1). Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

(2). 1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;”

(3). 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

What is Jesus’ ministry?

“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.” Matthew 4:23

(“Ministry” is from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning “to serve” or douleuo, meaning “to serve as a slave.” In the New Testament, ministry is seen as service to God and to other people in His name. Jesus provided the pattern for Christian ministry. He came to serve, not to be served. (see Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45))

What was Jesus’ Purpose?

“I will build my church” Matthew 16:16

What does Jesus promise to build? His church. Anything else? No. He promises to build no other earthly institution. He attaches the personal pronoun my to no other earthly entity. He sums up His entire mission as church building. This is His chief concern. What is Jesus doing, incarnation and post-incarnation? He is building His church.

What did Jesus mean when He used the word, “build”? From Strong’s Bible Concordance, the Greek word is, ‘oikodomeó’ which literally means ‘to build a house’. It is used as ‘to erect a building, to build; figuratively, to build up ones character, to edify and encourage. Literally, it means to “build someone up, helping them to stand, strong and sturdy.

What did Jesus mean when He used the word, “church”? From Strong’s Bible Concordance, the Greek word, ‘ekklésia’, means an assembly, a religious congregation. It is used to describe an assembly or a congregation as The Church which is the whole body of Christian believers.

Ekklēsía describes’ a people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church, the mystical body of Christ. It is the total body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.

What is Jesus’ method?

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” John 12:32

NOW, PLEASE ASK YOURSELF:

(Each answer gives an additional 10 points each)

Why are we on earth?

We “reside as strangers and aliens, scattered throughout” 1 Peter 1:1

For this purpose we have been born again, and for this reason we reside in the world: to testify to the truth. We are to testify to Jesus because He has told us, “I am the Truth.” John 14:6

Why are you on earth?

What is your Mission?

We are to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

What are you doing to accomplish your mission?

What is your Ministry?

“Go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is deserving of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet.” Matthew 10:8-14

What are you doing to accomplish your ministry?

What is our Purpose?

Jesus said, “I will build my church” Matthew 16:16. This is our purpose, also.

What does Jesus promise to build? His church. Anything else? No. He promises to build no other earthly institution. He attaches the personal pronoun my to no other earthly entity. He sums up His entire mission as Ekklēsía, building up a people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church, the mystical body of Christ. It is the total body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. This is our purpose, too.

What are you doing to accomplish your Purpose?

What is our Method?

“And, if He is lifted up from the earth, He will draw all people to Himself.” John 12:32

We are to lift up the name, the life and the example of Jesus.

What have you done to accomplish your Method?

“Going to church” is important, but, it is not the reason, mission, ministry, purpose or method of Jesus. In fact, much of what takes place in and around the church buildings in postmodern religion, has little to do with the real reason, mission, ministry, purpose or methods taught and demonstrated by Jesus. So, what are we doing? What is the point?

If church has become rote, boring, static, ritualistic or just a habit, then maybe it’s time to break free! Let’s begin, again, to follow Jesus.

Let’s BE the reason, DO the mission and ministry, HAVE the purpose and USE the method of Jesus, and let’s live again!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(You can listen to this article via this podcast audio, and, pause the audio to follow important page links, then, resume the audio when you are ready. Please note that I use page links critical to this article in lieu of references and footnotes.)

Kings 18:40, tells us that “Elijah said to the people of Israel, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.”

1 Samuel 15:1-3, tells us, “Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.  Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

However, Matthew 5:39-42, tells us of a very different approach, “But I, (Jesus), say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

The difference between how God instructed His people to confront evil before the advent of Christ, is stark. We see the men and women of God, in the Old Testament, stand up to evil and when called upon to do so, they would physically destroy every last vestige of evil, including men, women, children, animals and properties.

Jesus, on the other hand, called on His followers to love their enemies and to do good to those who persecuted them.

Why this sudden shift when it comes to dealing with evil and with evil people? Here are three reasons for this shift in paradigm.

(#1). Jesus makes a distinction between sin and the sinner, or evil and the one perpetrating evil. God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to save the world, not to condemn the world. But, Jesus came to show us the way to defeat the evil one, and He will destroy every last vestige of evil.

(#2). We have new weapons for this warfare. Spiritual weapons, which are much more powerful than man made weapons. Because we are carnal creatures, we love to take matters into our own hands. But, the physical world is the final manifestation of the Spiritual world. We must believe and know the battle is to be fought and won in the Spiritual realm, first. Then, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

(#3). The shift is away from the temporal or the physical manifestation of evil, and onto the source and root cause of evil which is being fought in the heavens or the spiritual world, so it would not manifest in the physical world.

We are clearly taught, in Matthew 5:38 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ verse 39. But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. Verse 40, And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Verse 41. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Verse 42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Verse 43. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ verse 44. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, verse 45, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Verse 46. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? Verse 47. And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? Verse 48. Therefore, you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

If you entangle yourself in a physical struggle with evil, you must know that Jesus warned, in Mark 9:29, that there are times when “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Don’t be confused. We are still called to resist the devil, (James 4:7), and to destroy all manner of evil, (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) ”For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (Also see, Ephesians 6:10-17).

Just like the first disciples and Apostles, we are to lift the name and person of Christ, in how we live and what we say. We are to present the Living Word and call all people to Christ.

At the same time, we are to confront evil wherever it is found and to pull down the strongholds of evil, silence the ignorance of the foolish, take captive every thought through the spoken Word of God.

Having done all this, we are to continue to stand strong, trusting in the Lord, and He will exact His righteous justice and vengeance toward the unrepentant and the wicked.

Although there may be times when God will call upon you as His instrument of judgment, be very cautious. Anything more that we may do on our part is an assumption that we can replace God by taking matters into our own hands.

WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE

Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin (Acts 7) resulted in his death.

The Apostle Paul’s speech to the Athenians about the resurrection of the dead, caused some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.” Some joined Paul, and became believers.”

A personal story:  I was asked to testify as a character witness for my neighbors, who were going through a divorce. When the attorney arrived, he began by giving me instructions on what to say on behalf of the wife. After he finished with his instructions, he asked if I had any questions. I said I had one question. He nodded for me to continue.

I asked him, “If you were to die today, do you have any assurance of where your soul would go?”

The attorney rolled his eyes and said, derisively, “I’m not going to answer that!”

I responded with, “Then, I will not proceed.”

Feeling trapped, he said, “Okay. I have no idea. I think I am a good person, so I hope I would go to heaven. How’s that?”, he finished

I went on to explain how he could know for certain, by God’s grace and through faith in Christ Jesus. I asked him if he would like to pray. He declined. I encouraged him to consider what we had talked about, I thanked him for his consideration and proceeded to the deposition.

There was a judge, two attorneys, my friends, and a court reporter present. I was sworn in and asked to give a testimony about my friend and neighbor.  I started with, “First, I want you to know that both my neighbors are good people. But, I am here on behalf of the wife, so I will testify to her good character.

“I also want you to know that the One who ordained the sanctity of marriage, that is God, and He hates divorce and what divorce does to people and the children of those people. So, I am certain that God would be unhappy with these proceedings.

“Furthermore, I want you to know that God loves both of my neighbors and would want nothing less than reconciliation and healing for them. And, in fact, God loves every one of you in this room today, and I would encourage you to come to know Him personally.”  I then gave my friend an endorsement.

The judge sighed heavily and said, “Do you realize we have to read that entire account in open court?!”

I answered, “No, sir, I did not. But, I am pleased to hear it.” With that, the proceedings were complete.

I have always wondered if any wanted me metaphorically dead, sort like with Stephen, or if any might have gotten saved at some point, like with Paul?  Only God knows.

The point is best made in 2 Timothy 4:2, when the Bible says, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

Let’s take up our place and fulfill our calling, confronting evil wherever it is found and pulling down the strongholds of evil, silencing the ignorance of the foolish, take captive every thought through the spoken Word of God, knowing that the Word of God will accomplish the very thing He sent it out to do and will not return void!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(You can listen to this article via this podcast audio, and, pause the audio to follow important page links, then, resume the audio when you are ready. Please note that I use page links critical to this article in lieu of references and footnotes.)

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Romans 8:5

My Blog page biography says, in part, “I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a businessman, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me.” I would like to add that I have been a youth soccer coach, a baseball player while in high school, an occasional volunteer for charitable organizations, an insurance agent, broker and an insurance agency owner.

I never had to stop being a husband to be a father, and I never had to stop being a businessman to be a soccer coach. I usually did these things sequentially. I had to be organized, and I had to prioritize, but, I found I could be many things to many people in the process.

But, my main calling and focus is that as a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. As a disciple, Jesus directs me to BE somethings and to DO other things. Funny thing is that He expects that I can BE many things and I can DO many things, at the same time or sequentially. It is the same for you, too.

For example, Jesus tells me to love my wife the same way Jesus loves His Church and gave up His life for her. So, by making Him my focus and my first priority, He tells me to make my wife my first earthly priority. I am to do both, simultaneously.

Another example is that Jesus tells me to love Him with all my heart, mind and strength and, at the same time, I am to love my neighbor as I love myself – simultaneously!

This leads me to the idea that many are expressing about leaving the ‘corporate church’ and ‘becoming the organic church’. I get what they are saying, and they make many good points. Before I go further, let me make a few distinctions.

#1. Do you attend a ‘church’, i.e., a corporate entity which

• Is focused on ‘growth’ for the sake of growth; building enhancement for appearance and participant’s comfort?
• Does your church focus on staff salaries and their retirement funds, which exceed your missions spending?
• Are you baptizing new believers weekly, and is your focus to make disciples who are making disciples?
• Just ‘attending church’ but rarely leads anyone to Christ or is involved in serving the Body or the community?
• Do your church services end with people folding the bulletins and rushing off to lunch in their little groups?
• Is focused on religious ‘seekers’ rather than reaching the lost?
• Is focused on becoming the ‘best you’, and getting all the promises of God for yourself, now?

OR…

#2. Are you part of a Church which

• Is focused on BEING Christlike and serving the Body, the people, of Christ, loving others and considering others as more important than yourself?
• Is known for its hospitality and service to the community in the name of Jesus?
• Add buildings and property only when needed to serve the existing size of the Church Body?
• Is focused on raising up disciple-makers and sending them out as local pastors, teachers, evangelists and community missionaries?
• Do your pastor’s sermons result in repentance, re-dedication as disciples of Christ, re-commitment as Christians; do they give clear directions of the Gospel?
• Is focused on reaching the lost, the straying, the broken, hurting and leading them to Christ Jesus and finding His rest and peace?
• Focused on becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus, doing His Works, faithful in all things related to the Gospel; faithful in giving, serving, loving, patient, kind and gentle?

The first example is of people who consider themselves as Christians, who are busy ‘going to church’ but rarely understand what it means to ‘Be the Church’. What I mean is that they say the right things, they think they are doing the right things, but, they just don’t go outside the church building, visibly BEING THE CHURCH! They are INWARD focused. Their slogan is usually something like, “Come Join Us on Sunday”, or, “Come Grow with Us”.  Inward focused.

The second example is of Christians who are focused on ‘Being the Church’, and they  understand what that means. They consider the church building a tool necessary only to serve the Body of Christ. They are OUTWARD focused, both inside the church building and outside the building. Their slogan is typically something like, “Find Jesus, Find Peace”, or, “Worship God Here”.

If you will BE THE CHURCH as you go about your daily life, you may find that, from time to time, you may need a place to gather. Someone’s house may be a good place to meet or congregate, to worship together, hear or teach the Word of God, to pray and plan. But, you may find, as your numbers increase, that a building may be more useful and practical. What I am trying to point out is that as long as your methods and ways are those of Jesus, then whether you meet in a house or a building is a matter of choice and convenience, but your FOCUS must always be on being and doing what Jesus has called you to be and do!

If you keep your focus right by keeping your priority right, the rest will fall into place. In other words, “Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing” and as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give…” Matthew 10:7-15

So, what should you do? Why not, YOU BE THE CHURCH. God is calling all of His children, that is, all Christians, into His service. Whether you recognize the ‘office or your calling’ or not, you are called to serve Him. The postmodern church organization has turned serving God into a profession, complete with colleges, seminaries, salaries and government regulations, but, that is NOT what the Bible says. Even the Apostles were known as untrained and uneducated men who were known for their love for one another and that they had been with Jesus! (see these spiritual gifts and offices).

Whether God has given you the Spiritual Gift of preaching, teaching, reaching the lost or otherwise, perform your calling and exercise your spiritual gifts. Don’t be like those who wear their calling of God like a prize to be paraded around, dressed in their religiosity. Just trust God to lead you, whether inside a church building, in a small group or a house Church, just do it and be it! You be available and willing, and God will do the rest! Trust Him.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

I hear some Christians say they are tired of the ‘consumer church’ (watch this video),

Others are bored with the ‘postmodern church environment’ in favor of a ‘house-church’ (watch this next video).

Still others say they are discourage by and finished with the 501(c)(3)-church-as-usual. (Watch either or both of these next videos).

https://www.whitestone2014.com/simple-church-video

OR

 

It is not my position to replace the existing church model. It is my position to reform the existing church model where WE, THE BODY OF CHRIST, obey Him, follow Him, and do everything in the model He demonstrated.

There are many good and faithful churches being and doing the Will of God. But, there are many more so-called churches which have drifted away from the Gospel and have become apostate. They are ‘having their lampstands removed’ in these Last Days. We must know the difference and run from the apostate church.

 

THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS and THE PROMISE OF PEACE – Mission Hills Church – Pastor Craig Smith delivers a timely and much needed message, both for this Christmas season and for our daily lives in these times of stress and tribulation. Don’t go it alone! Find Peace.

NO KIDDING – this is a ‘must watch’.  Pray and get ready to hear from God!  (I have cued the video to start on the sermon; but, the entire experience can be worth watching)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young