You Are Loved!

Colossians 1:9-14  For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:

Sometimes when we Christians are going through difficult circumstances and we are waiting for breakthrough in a certain area, we may be tempted to believe that God doesn't really love us. We may even question whether we are cursed in some way and maybe not even saved from death, hell, and the grave. But none of that is true if we have believed in and declared Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.Like Ruth, who was blessed to be the redeemed wife of Boaz and the grandmother of King David and in the line of Jesus, we are blessed as the bride of Christ, His wife, sons and daughters of God, kings and priests, destined to reign in this life and in the one to come. Do you really believe that? Can you be like Ruth and believe you are highly favored despite your background and circumstances? Can you believe like Peter and walk upon the water with the wind and the waves swirling all around you, howling in your ear? As Peter discovered, as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus and believed how much he was loved and favored, he was able to walk in supernatural power. However, the minute Peter looked at the wind and waves, he left his supernatural place and became a natural man again, limited by the laws of this natural world. And we all know what happens when natural men try to walk on water--they sink and they sink fast!


Do you know how precious, beloved, blessed, and favored you are? Do you know that God is no longer mad at you about anything? Do you know that there is no sin or condemnation in your life that was not dealt with at the cross? If you do feel any guilt or condemnation, it is not coming from God. God dealt with sin and the curse 2000 years ago when He laid it all on his beloved son, Jesus. Yes, circumstances in your life may be hard, the wind and waves may be coming against you with a vengeance, but do you know your Savior loves you and that He will enable you to rise above it all, to walk above the circumstances around you? If you need healing, He is the healer, if you need finances, He is your provider. If you need relationships restored, He is you reconciliation, if you need a job or position, He is the one who sends favor and good things our way.


In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul prayed for the church in Colosse to receive the full revelation of the knowledge of God and who they are IN HIM. Circumstances don't define the Lord or how He sees us, the Word does. The ultimate act of love He has shown us is sending His beloved Son to the cross.


Don't give up, fight the good fight of faith, and keep believing in the promises of the Lord, even if it seems to be taking forever. Concentrate on how much He loves you and how blessed you are. This may sound like foolishness to the world and to natural people, but you are not of this world nor are you a natural person--you are supernatural--a born-again child of God! It's a time for celebration, praise and joy from the Lord's people, the body of Christ, His bride, the sons and daughters of the Most High!
              

Enjoy the Growth!

Did you know the Apostle Paul's ministry and calling was not just to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, but also to help raise every believer up into the full knowledge of who they are IN Christ, thus bringing everyone into their full maturity as a Christian? Many times we think spreading the Word of Jesus is all about getting people saved, but based on Paul's teachings, there is whole bunch more.

We looked at the first chapter of Colossians where Paul exalted the believers at Colossae for their faith, unity, and love, and yet he wanted them to experience something more--the fullness of knowing their Savior, Jesus, and the deep, rich treasures of God that have been stored up for the church. This obviously takes time and patience as the maturation process completes its task. Like a rose bud coming into its full bloom, we as Christians must grow and mature in our discovery of who we truly are in Christ and how God sees us. It isn't about doing deeds or completing tasks, but about coming into the full knowledge of the Truth.

We compared this teaching with Ruth's story. When Boaz first saw her, he wanted to know who she was. He called her "daughter," and I believe that for him, it was love at first sight! He took care of her, provided for her and protected her, and invited her to eat at his table to dine on the kingly bread. Instead, she chose to sit with the other maidens and eat of the parched grain. For the remainder of the barley and wheat harvest, Ruth stayed at Boaz's field, gleaning with the other workers, drinking the water drawn by his young men, eating at his table, learning more about him, and most importantly, learning about HOW HE SAW HER! This sounds like a romantic, wooing courtship to me. At the appropriate time, when the harvest was complete, she was ready to claim him as her husband and take her position as his wife. Boaz called her virtuous and declared that the whole city knew of her virtue. Obviously, she had grown into the knowledge of who she truly was. Likewise, this is what the Lord wants from us.

At no time during this wooing process did Boaz scold or admonish Ruth for not walking in a full revelation of how he saw her. He waited quietly and patiently, enjoying the time spent with her, watching with joy as she grew into her revelation that she was meant to be his wife. Think about that! God delights in watching you grow and develop and learn about who He has made you IN Christ. The more light you walk in and the more revelation knowledge you have of the rich treasures in Christ Jesus that have been laid up for you NOW, in this age, the more He is glorified!

All Things Work Together For Our Good!

Romans 8:28 says this: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

We saw the truth in this Scripture in looking at Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38. Because the elders at the gates of Bethlehem prayed and declared that the offspring of Boaz and Ruth would be like the house of Perez (which means a bursting forth) whom Tamar bore to Judah, we thought it important to take a look at her story.

Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law who was married to his oldest son. Even though the Levitical laws had not yet been given to Israel, it was the custom/law of the day that if a son died, his widow would be given in marriage to the next oldest brother so that the seed or offspring of the dead son would not be cut off. It so happens that Tamar's husband died (because he was wicked) and Judah gave Tamar to his next oldest son as a wife. The Bible says that this son knew the children they would have wouldn't be considered his, so he "spilled his seed on the ground." (KJV). This waste of the seed was viewed as wicked in the Lord's eyes, so he too died. Judah sent Tamar to her home to wait until his third son, Shelah, was old enough to take her as his wife - however, he was afraid that Tamar was cursed and that Shelah would die too. Therefore, when Shelah came of age, Judah conveniently forgot about Tamar.

When Judah became a widower, Tamar sought what was rightfully hers. She took off her widow's garment, dressed up as a temple prostitute, and stood by the road where Judah was traveling on business. He saw her, solicited her services (not knowing who she was), and she became pregnant. Because he had nothing to pay, he left her a pledge of his staff, signet seal and cord (which would be the equivalent of our social security card, driver's license and birth certificate!). When he returned later with her payment, she had disappeared, taking all of the pledges with her. Later, after three months had passed, news reached Judah that Tamar had "played the harlot" and was pregnant. Enraged, he demanded that she be burned, but when she presented him with the pledges he declared her righteous! How could that be? Was prostituting herself to get what was rightfully hers part of God's plan?

To a religious person, the answer would be no, but God (through Judah) declared her righteous! I will even go so far as to say that the Holy Spirit prompted her to do exactly what she did! And how do we know that? Because Tamar is one of the few women in history mentioned as being in the line of Jesus the Messiah. She is mentioned first (being the mother of Perez), then comes Rahab the harlot (Boaz's mother), then Ruth (the Moabitess who was the grandmother of King David), and then Bathsheba (who committed adultery with David but later gave birth to King Solomon). Notice that all of these women engaged in or came from a line of sexual sin - we see harlotry, prostitution, incest, and adultery - and all of these women were married into the royal bloodline. Do you see how Tamar is another picture of the church? She was pushed aside, forgotten, deemed cursed, denied what was rightfully hers, then declared a harlot and condemned to a horrific death. But God, in His mercy and grace, restored her and brought her into the royal bloodline of Jesus by giving her not one baby boy, but two - twins! The family of Perez (which means a bursting forth) was the second born and became a mighty family of powerful, valiant men.

It is interesting that this chapter on Tamar is inserted in Genesis right after Joseph (a picture of Jesus) is rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery - giving us further insight on how Tamar is a picture of the Gentile church. She is the one who carried the seed of Judah and then gave birth to an offspring that burst forth from her womb and became a part of God's royal lineage. We see the same thing is true with the offspring of Boaz and Ruth and then with the church on the day of Pentecost over 2000 years ago where all of these prophetic events were ultimately fulfilled. On that day, the Holy Spirit came to the 120 disciples in the upper room like a rushing, mighty wind, filling them with power, signs, and wonders, and prompting Peter to preach the first sermon where 3000 people were added to their number on that day! That's truly a bursting forth of reborn, righteous, children of God brought into the royal bloodline of Jesus!

What may have looked like a horrible act of trickery for Tamar to commit against Judah and his family, was actually the perfect plan of God to bring their offspring into the line of His son, Jesus. While the Lord does not advocate harlotry or deceit or any sin, He does lead and guide His children in ways that are confusing to religious people and the world. But if you are born again in Christ Jesus, remember that the Holy Spirit lives and resides in you, leading you and guiding you into all truth. Others may not see what He is doing in and through you, and may even say that what you are doing is wrong, but trust the Spirit and follow His leading. It will always glorify Jesus and line up perfectly with His word!

Yes, you may endure some persecution for following the Spirit, but as Jesus said at the sermon on the mount, blessed are you when you are persecuted for the word's sake! Like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, you are blessed, righteous, and royal, despite your past history. You are a new creation IN Christ Jesus!

Best Christian Blog of the Week!

We were voted the best Christian blog of the week for the week of Feb 26th! See it on bestchristianblogoftheweek.blogspot.com!

Grace Brings Dead Things to Life

First of all, despite some heavy hearts, we had a wonderful morning of worship and prayer, followed up by a fabulous, Holy Spirit-inspired song from Angela which ended with her singing and praying in the Spirit, and all of us getting a Holy Spirit love hug. We needed it! Then we each wrote on a piece of paper the curses and lies Satan feeds our minds--the things that have played over and over in our thoughts, telling us that we are doomed to failure, etc. and that we just aren't good enough. We then tendered that over to the Lord, rejecting those lies, and accepting His truths. The facts can change, but Truth is eternal! We tore up the papers and settled the matter.

It was very interesting looking at Ruth today. Before Boaz could redeem her and make her his wife, he had to reconcile some things with a closer kinsman redeemer, who represents the law. The law is good and holy, but it is hard and inflexible, with no compassion and mercy, hence it was written and engraved by God on stones. If we are imperfect and fail to abide by the law fully, we are cursed and condemned as sinners destined for death. Since Ruth was imperfect, being a Moabitess, this closer kinsman redeemer could not redeem her, because he would risk losing his inheritance--again, this is a picture of a good and holy, yet inflexible, law which cannot tolerate sin. Boaz, who represents grace, steps in and redeems Ruth, and he does it gladly, taking her as his wife with the purpose of bearing children so that the seed of her dead husband will have new life. Likewise, Jesus, who is our heavenly Boaz, is the only one who can take dead, cursed people and things and bring new life to them. Israel thought the law could complete the task, but it cannot. Life only comes through grace. Life only comes through Jesus Christ.

Boaz's redemption of Ruth was done publicly and properly, before witnesses, at the city gates, which would be our equivalent of a county courthouse. While Ruth was waiting patiently at home with Naomi, Boaz was taking care of business and setting things right. Likewise, while the whole world went about their business on the day of Passover some two thousand years ago, Jesus took care of business in the spiritual world and redeemed us from sin. Colossians tells us He did it legally, properly and completely in front of witnesses where the law was nailed to the cross and Satan was stripped of his authority and made an open show in front of all the demons of hell. Jesus' redemption was so complete that Scripture says it blotted out and wiped away God's handwriting on the stone where the law was written! That's why God says He will remember our sins no more! Who else can do that but Christ Jesus?!

Jesus has brought new life to us and is well able to take the dead things in and around us and bring new life to them. Just like Boaz, who took Ruth in as his wife, shared his wealth and prosperity with her, and gave her a child that would be in the line of King David and Messiah Jesus, our Savior has taken us as His wife, shared His inheritance with us and put us IN HIM, so that we are in a royal bloodline where there is only life and no death. Surrender everything in your life to Him-your past, present, and future-your health, finances, and relationships and allow Him to give them new life. He says He has come to bring us life, and life more abundantly!

Angela Sykes sings for us! Voted Best Christian Blog of the Week

The Two Have Become One

When Ruth came to Boaz and asked him to be her kinsman redeemer, she lay at his feet all night and then left early in the morning before anyone else knew what was going on. The arrangement they had was secret, unknown to anyone else other than Naomi. What was the secret? That Ruth would become Boaz's wife and the two would become one, Ruth would become part of the royal bloodline of King David and Jesus.

Did you know the same can be said for Christ and His church? The great mystery of God that was hidden throughout the ages, even from the angels and the demons, was the union of His son Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, and His bride, the church, a spiritual version of Ruth. The two becoming one is the mystery of marriage between a man and woman, which is really the divine mystery of God and man being one through the marriage of Christ and the church! The natural mind cannot understand this, but the Holy Spirit within us gives us the revelation of this truth. You are one with God if you are in Christ Jesus! Jesus even prayed this prayer in the Book of John before the crucifixion. I in you and you in me.

When Ruth returned home with six sheaves of barley from Boaz, Naomi, who represents Israel, was convinced that Boaz would redeem Ruth that day. Naomi counseled Ruth that all she had to do was sit patiently and wait. The same is true with us. Your kinsman redeemer, Jesus, is doing all the work in your life right now to redeem you from all obstacles and hurts. In fact, He did it 2000 years ago when He died on the cross and took away all of your sin. The bible says He even planned it before the foundation of the world! He knew you before He formed you in your mother's womb and died for you to redeem you so you could be one with Him! Think about that! If you are one with God through Christ Jesus, then how can you not reign in life just like Ruth?