Escape through the Kingdom that Cannot Be Shaken

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN."

This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

for our God is a consuming fire.” – Hebrews 12:25-29 (NASB)

I believe we are embarking upon a very prophetic season in God’s calendar. The Lord has been speaking to me in various ways this week as to the “shaky” season this world is about to enter into. Do we as God’s people know that we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken? This should bring us great hope no matter what happens in this world. As we can see in God’s Word from Hebrews there is a shaking which occurs which will shake all created or material things so that what cannot be shaken – which is the Kingdom of God will remain.

God loves the world so much He sent His only begotten Son – Jesus Christ into the world so that whosoever believes and trusts upon Him would not perish but have eternal life. God sent Jesus into the world not to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. The Kingdom of God is at hand in the person of Jesus Christ. Do you trust Him with your life today?

So, even though God is love and loves the world He also has other divine attributes. Many of us including myself at times forget that the Lord is the Righteous Judge. We forget that He is Holy and despises sin, and that He is a God of justice and He will vindicate His Name amongst the nations of the world. We cannot forget how many times God has judged nations in the Bible. Yes, I fully believe that God is love and that He is full of compassion, kindness, redemption, forgiveness but He is also Holy and Just. Just look at all the stories in the Old Testament and you will find that the true and living God is a “jealous God”.

“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” – Exodus 34:14

With this in mind let us humble ourselves and hold to His Hand during this season. I am not writing this as to cause fear in people but I am writing this to show you there is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken at all! It is the Kingdom of God which we can be a part of through Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. As the text in Hebrews states because of this understanding let us have gratitude and thankfulness in our hearts toward God so that we can be of service to Him. We must live our lives with reverence and awe toward the Lord our God. Do you have a holy fear of God in your hearts? Not a fear as to be frightened or scared but a fear that causes you to say God is awesome. If you do not I encourage you today to ask the Lord to put this awful fear in your heart. The Bible says in Psalms 34:7 – “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

If you do not have a fear of God and a relationship with Him please come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

On the other hand if you “think” you have a relationship with God by believing in Jesus intellectually or historically but you do not have a love for Him and a relationship with Him I pray that you would ask God to give you eyes to see and a new found desire to seek Him with all of your heart so that you may know Him and be known by Him.

“Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' – Matthew 7:22-23

Let us heed the call of the Almighty and escape and flee from the wrath which is to come. Trust and have faith in God. Do you live with a hope in Him knowing His Kingdom cannot be shaken? The Bible says the kingdoms of this world will come down, and they shall in the end be the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ.

I want to conclude by saying we must be alert, watchful and prayerful particularly during this coming season. Let us live in such a way as to live as people who have hope and may we not be caught off guard. Allow the Hope of Glory to shine in you and through you. Draw near to Jesus.

In the words of our Savior from Luke 21:34-36 –

"Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

"But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."


Maranatha!

Blessings,
Emmanuel H.

Solus Christus

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 5:19-20


Yesterday during our church prayer meeting we read and sang a song about the preeminence of Christ. Singing unto the Lord and just declaring who He is can touch your heart in the deepest of ways. When we look to “Christ alone” who is the author and perfecter of our faith our circumstances and trials in life fall in comparison to His majesty. We sense the beauty of His presence knowing that He loves us and He is for His people.

I believe it is a vital part of our spirituality to make “confessions and heart-felt declarations of faith” in Christ. We need to be Spirit-led in our worship of God in which by the Holy Spirit in us Jesus Christ is exalted.

So, I encourage believers everywhere to open our mouths in praise, prayer and song not only in church services but in our own daily lives outside of church and declare the glorious Truth who is Christ Alone.

I would like to leave you now with the song that we sang and spoke to one another as outlined in the verse above. This lifted my heart and encouraged me greatly and I hope it does for you as well.

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Blessings,

Christ-Exalting Generosity

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1

True generosity is a rare thing indeed. To receive a gift that is given anonymously and is given with no strings attached and with no expectations in return is to receive a gift from God.

My wife and I have recently received just such expressions of God's love for us. One gift was given quietly with clear direction to not tell anyone and we were told that this was a gift from God to show us that He loves us and cares for us. Another gift was given in a similar way and on both occasions I have sensed God's love for me and my wife through the gifts.

We have been recipients of generosity before but most of these acts have been very different from these most recent experiences. Usually there have been strings attached or the generosity has been brought up later, in front of others, in order to make a point of how nice and kind the person has been to us. The previous experiences left me feeling dirty, defiled and used. These more recent experiences have left me feeling loved, appreciated and cared for by God Himself.

I praise God for all of the experiences of generosity from people - whether they were given with a pure heart or from sinister motives. But I do pray for those who announce their generosity and lord it over the recipients because Jesus calls such people hypocrites and makes it very clear that such generosity may be used by God, but it is not from God.

When we rob God of His glory by announcing our acts of righteousness we have already received our reward and there will be no reward for us in heaven. If that is our pattern of generosity we are in serious trouble because it reveals not a love for God but a love for our own glory; it reveals not a love for people, but a love for our own reputation. To give in such a way is to break both commands that Jesus gave us - to love God and to love people. It ought to be sobering for us all to realize that kindness done in the open for all to see is considered by God to be on the level of robbing Him of His glory.

"Thus when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:2-4

Thank you, Lord, that You love us and care for us. Thank you, Lord, that You have given us good and perfect gifts from Your saints who desired for You, and You alone, to be glorified in their giving. Their gifts have caused us to weep for joy and to shout praises to Your name because of the love that You have placed in their hearts for us - Your love for us.

Blessings,


Kristian

Circumcision

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn." Deuteronomy 10:6

The simple meaning and purpose of circumcision is that when the foreskin is removed, that which is exposed is the most sensitive and most tender part of the male anatomy. That portion of the man's body is capable of producing the most amount of pain as well as the most amount of pleasure.

God wants us to have a heart like His and that means that we must have hearts that are circumcised; hearts that break easily because they are unprotected and hearts that experience the "inexpressible joy filled with glory" that is spoken of in 1 Peter. David was such a man and if you read the Psalms you see a man whose heart is regularly broken; a man who weeps often; a man who rejoices in the Lord with shouts and song; a man who dances before God; a man who is profoundly sensitive and emotional.

"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be a prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." 1 Samuel 13:14

If we are to have hearts like God's heart we must be capable of the most profound sorrow and pain, as well as the most exhuberant joy and love.

If you are not deeply grieved over sin, betrayal, disunity and discord I would submit that you have once again grown a foreskin which protects your heart from the pain God has designed you to feel. Either that or you never had your heart circumcised to begin with. God feels the pain of rejection which is why our sin of rejecting Him causes such profound reactions of wrath from Him. In essence, God's sensitivity explain His anger over our offense against Him. When we ignore and reject God, He is offended and it deserves hell. If someone ignores you or rejects you, you ought to feel a deep pain because we are made in His image and likeness.

But, we must also have hearts that are capable of the most profound pleasure, joy and love. God rejoices loudly over His treasured posession, the Church. In Zepheniah we are told that God will exult over us and sing over us. God is a joyous and glad God. David was capable of the most exhuberant joy of any saint we have been priveleged to read about. David exulted, praised, sang, danced and shouted for joy.

To many, David seems schizophrenic because of his mood swings and his ability to go from exuberant joy to gloomy depression. I would submit to you that God saw David as a man after His own heart for the very same reason many view him as "moody."

David was a man after God's heart because he was sensitive. He felt pain deeply and he felt joy, love and gladness deeply. This is the essence of having your heart circumcised - it is no longer protected and therefore experiences pain, joy, love and sadness on the level it was meant to - on God's level.

Supernatural Faith

Today I wanted to look at something the Lord has been impressing in my heart lately and that is the topic of supernatural faith. Faith in general is a huge topic and cannot be fully expressed in all of its nuances in this forum. However, today I wanted to meditate on some Scriptures that deal with supernatural faith in a believer’s life.

In general we know that “salvation” is a gift of God from Ephesians 2:8-9. We also know that this salvation comes by the sheer grace of God through faith. So, having faith and trust in the Savior Jesus Christ is foundational and the life of the believer in Christ begins from this point of faith.

However, as a believer who has faith in God unto salvation we come across some passages in the Bible where it seems to talk about another type of faith within the believer’s life. This faith is not different in essence to saving faith but I would say it is different in mode of operation.

Let’s take a look at the following passage from 1 Corinthians 12:9 –

“…..to another faith by the same Spirit….”

Now the interesting thing about this short passage is the fact that Paul is describing the “charismata” or gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12. It is clear from the context that you need to be a believer first and foremost before any of the gifts of the Spirit can reside in your life. So, the question is why would he list “faith” as a supernatural charismatic gift of the Holy Spirit if “faith” is what initially brings us into the family of God in the first place and is in of itself supernatural in essence?

I believe again that the “gift of faith” described here is different in mode of operation but not different in essence to saving faith. The gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 is for the edification of the Body of Christ. So, as the Sovereign Spirit gives to each person in different circumstances different gifts it is for the common good of the Body of Christ as a whole.

Even though the Sovereign Spirit gives to each one according to the circumstance and for the good of the whole; Paul is very clear that we as individual believers should pursue the different gifts of the Spirit as the Lord leads us. We should be praying for these gifts to be evident in our lives for the good of the Body. I pray we would not neglect these wonderful gifts from God because they are actually not for ourselves but for others to be built up.

As is the focus today I would encourage you to pray specifically for the “gift of faith” so that God will manifest this in your life by His Holy Spirit so that others may be encouraged in their walk with God. You see I sense that the enemy is running around trying to devour the Body of Christ. In particular I see spiritual battles in my life and in the lives of those around me rising up a notch as of late. The enemy is working overtime because his time is short. Let us be a people of God who operate under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. This “gift of faith” is simply a specific act of faith and assurance in God during a trying or difficult circumstance in which God by His Spirit prompts your heart toward Him rather than you going down the road of despair. It is simply the supernatural act of trusting in God knowing the outcome is assured in Him. Take some time to read about the heroes and heroines of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Please note the specific details and circumstances facing these people of God who were already called by Him but they had supernatural faith in particular circumstances that they faced in their lives.

One profound thing that spoke to me from this chapter is that these people of faith operated in the understanding that they were foreigners in this Earth. Even though the gift of faith was evident in each of their particular circumstances the Bible says that they did not see the fruit or tangible expression of the promise of God in their earthly lives. Their saving faith as a foundation propelled them into the realm of the supernatural gift of faith as they experienced all of life’s different trials, circumstances, tribulations, etc.

“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” – Hebrews 11:13

This chapter in Hebrews is interesting because it describes great victories for people operating in supernatural faith but also great hardships and tribulations – all coming from the same faith.

“…and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.” – Hebrews 11:36-38

Let me try and tie this together with the supernatural gift of faith in specific life circumstances. You see God is writing a story – “His-story” in your life and my life. We must always remember it is not about us but all about Him. The supernatural gift of faith described earlier from 1 Corinthians 12 as I mentioned is manifested from individual to individual as the Lord gives, but it is primarily for the benefit of the Body as a whole. What I mean is your supernatural faith in a particular circumstance which leads you to worship and adoration unto God results in edification for those who watch you and see you. God is painting a tapestry of faith from person to person so that in the end you and I will finally “get it” we will finally see the full picture and the promise in Jesus Christ will be fully known.

Let me end with a proof of this in the last two verses from Hebrews chapter 11 verses 39 and 40 from the Message:

“Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”

You see God withholds the final promise in the full disclosure and revelation of Himself even when we are operating in supernatural faith because He is “doing something” – He is writing His Story. Praise His name that we who are His people are part of His Story and our supernatural faith during particular times and specific moments of our lives is added together with the rest of God’s people throughout history which is creating a completed whole. This is precisely why we need each other as the Body of Christ – let us pursue the supernatural gift of faith by the Holy Spirit so that God’s plan and purpose may be accomplished in our lives and in the lives of others!

Blessings,

Cry Out !

The Lord has been speaking to me this past week through a passage in the book of Exodus which we will be looking at in a moment. However, I wanted to lay down some ground work on the issue of suffering and affliction from the point of view of a child of God who has entrusted their life to the Redeemer and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible speaks of suffering and afflictions to be inevitable in the believer’s life. We can see this clearly in the following passage from Philippians 1:29

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him…”

We also read in many other passages that in the midst of our sufferings and afflictions that we are to rejoice in the Lord at all times and we are to not feel that these trials are “unusual”. I see mainly two major “types” of sufferings/afflictions in the believer’s life. One type may come in the way of discipline or correction from the Lord. This is not a punishment of wrath but rather correction in which God wants to teach us and to discipline us to get us back onto the right track in our relationship with Him. The other type of suffering/affliction has nothing to do with discipline or correction but rather the suffering is there because He has a bigger purpose or plan in view for you.

We see this in the book of Job. Job was a blameless man, upright, and feared God but we see in one day a major calamity that comes upon him and stays with him for some time. Job did not quite understand it until the end when God’s purposes behind the suffering were made evident and Job makes this statement from Job 42:5 –

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You..”

So regardless of the type of suffering/affliction we are going through we know that God is good and has a good purpose in mind for us. We can rest in His divine sovereignty and have comfort in knowing that He loves us and that He is trustworthy. The Bible says in Romans 8:28

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

However, keeping all of this in mind we find a tension in Scripture in which we rejoice in our sufferings, we rest in God’s ultimate purposes and plans in our suffering, but “we are not to live or act fatalistically in this world”. As believers we should not just say “it is fate” and sit complacently in our suffering and afflictions. We must pursue God and come to Him for deliverance, to hear His voice and find His will for our lives.

Let us look at this in the following passage from Exodus 3:7-9

“The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.

"So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

"Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.”

Keep in mind that in the context of this passage we remember that the children of Israel have been in oppression for hundreds of years at the hands of the Egyptians. However, at this particular time God calls Moses as an instrument in His hands to deliver His people from their bondage. We see in verse 7 that God “sees and is aware” of His people’s suffering. In Hebrew this literally means intimately connected to or concerned with the suffering of His people. I want to encourage you as a believer that God sees your suffering and He cares for you!

In verse 8 we see that not only does God care for His people who are suffering but He has a plan of deliverance for them. We as believers have a “living hope” in God who is the one who breaks the bondages of suffering in our lives. Not only does He desire to break the oppression in your life but also take you to a “new and spacious land”. However, this is in His timing and in His way and according to His will.
However, He does it via His people “crying out to Him” (see verse 9). Now this cry is not out of a complaining nature but rather out of desperation. We can see this clearly in the previous chapter in the 24th verse:

“And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.”

When we take this into context we see the children of God crying out to God for deliverance from their oppression. This “crying out” is not a simple stoic prayer, but it is an emotionally charged prayer from the heart of a believer out of desperation and dependence on God. I do not believe in formulas for our prayer lives like if I pray x number times God will answer or if I pray a certain way mustering up my faith He will answer me.

However, I do see two major principles of intercessory prayer found in the Word of God. The first is God looks at the heart of the individual and our heart must be in utter “dependence” upon Him. We must understand He is in control of our lives and we come to Him boldly but humbly to find grace in our time of need by way of dependence upon Him. The second is “persistence” in prayer. We must come persistently to God with our needs in prayer. We can see this articulated in our passage where it is says “the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me”. This literally means that the fullness of the cry of the people of God in persistence has come to God and He is now going to move in His delivering power. I believe these are two very important points which we need to take to our personal and corporate prayer lives.

If I can, let me challenge you to have an extraordinary prayer life in crying out to God. When was the last time you cried out in a loud voice to the living God? Are you desperate for Him to move in your life? Are you persistently in hope seeking His face daily by faith in the prayer closet? I encourage you to cry out to God and believe upon Him in faith for the deliverance, and at the same time resting in fact that He is good and His compassions they fail not.

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” – James 5:16

So, crying out to God in prayer for deliverance from suffering and affliction is powerful and God sees and is aware of His people’s suffering and oppression and He desires to set us free, but we must cry out to Him persistently knowing our help cometh from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Let me end with saying that knowing Jesus and abiding in Him is entering that “land flowing with milk and honey”. Let us come to Jesus and allow Him to break through in our lives with His desires and purposes. The Gospel of Luke chapter 4 verses 17-18 says speaking of the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth:

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed”

Blessings,

How To Be Great Without Being Great

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Have you ever thought that you might be wasting your life because you are not accomplishing anything seemingly great? Have you ever wondered if anything you ever did mattered in the eternal sense? Do you look at great men of God like Luther, Edwards, Calvin, Owen, Henry and Piper and wonder if you will ever have an impact like they did and still do? Do you long to do something great for God so that you may leave a legacy to your children? Are you mesmerized by large and grand ministries or movements and wish that you could do something equally important?

The verse above should be comforting to you if this is the case - at least if you are willing to be foolish in the eyes of the world, weak, low and despised.

"But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be a slave of all." Mark 10:43-44

God is great, people are not. God works through empty vessels that have no greatness in themselves, other than the greatness of humility to be nothing and do nothing of their own ambition. Consider that Jesus told James and John that if they wanted to be great they had to become the lowest of all - they had to consider others more significant than themselves (Philippians 2:3). Paul continues in Philippians to show that Jesus displayed the utmost humility by considering the good of others before His own, became obedient even to death on a cross and therefore God has highly exalted Him.

We must not think like the world. God doesn't exalt great people, He humbles them. God exalts humble people and they will not be exalted in this life-time, but in the one to come so that no one has any room for boasting in their humility.

• Jesus didn't come to be great - He came to become nothing.

"...but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." Philippians 2:7

• Jesus didn't come to rule or be served - He came to serve.

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

• Jesus didn't draw people by being great, eloquent, or through any particular gifting - the Father drew people to Jesus because God was pleased to work through that which is nothing and that which is weak, low and despised.

"...he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." John 6:44

• God doesn't reveal His greatness through great people - He reveals His greatness through the humble and downcast; through those who are nothing.

"He must increase but I must decrease." John 3:30

This last verse from the gospel of John is particularly telling. John the Baptist doesn't just say that Jesus must increase. He also says that he himself must decrease. If Jesus is to be revealed as great it is not enough for us to expound upon His greatness. We must decrease and become nothing. Then and only then will God work great things through us. And it will be God doing them, not us, so that He alone is glorified and we have no room for boasting about anything we have done.

If you want to be great and do great things for God, be like Jesus and become nothing. Then you will see that there is nothing you can do for God - but He can do great things through you.

Blessings!