"Always Providing"

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed...." (Luke 4:18, from today's Gospel reading)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,..." to do everything you and I need, everything.  So why do so many lack so much?

Jesus is for, "....the poor;...the brokenhearted,..the captives..., the blind,...the oppressed...," and in Jesus' being for for us, He does our text.  The declaration encompasses our whole being.  Jesus is Our Complete Provider.  If these Words apply to any reading this, I remind us all that Jesus is for us.  This text is for you and me today, "to have and to hold."  Just as Jesus provided for Mary and John from His Cross, Jesus is the "Always Providing One."  

If you and I do not accept these Words, well, we just need to remind ourselves that God is He, "....who cannot lie...."  Maybe what is needed for us, at least at times, is the persistence of the widow before the judge.  The Word for, "wear me out," in the passage literally means, "to hit under the eye."  Could, "....take it by force," apply to some of us?

Don't be discouraged, my friend.  Those long awaited Promises of the Savior are yours and mine.  Maybe we need to "suck it up" and once again do what we did so long ago-- remember?  We believed Jesus.  We "pressed in" to Jesus.  That child-like faith did so much, didn't it.  Rekindle it, in Jesus' Name!

Father, in Jesus' Name, be will all who are worn out.  Renew them in Your Words, Your Holy Spirit.  May that anointing, which You said is our too, be upon us all, the anointing to obey, receive and walk in.  Amen.

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When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

The Pittsburgh Declaration

(Some have asked me for a copy of this.  I'm sending it to all on my email list)

To the Jewish Community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

We know that the Jewish people throughout the centuries have borne the greatest discrimination, the worst persecution, and the most barbaric atrocities of any people group.  We are aware that much of this has been done by those who called themselves Christians, sometimes while calling upon the Name of Jesus.  While those of us standing here with you today deplore and condemn in the strongest terms and way those crimes perpetrated against the Jewish People throughout history, we nonetheless ask for your forgiveness for all of the crimes perpetrated against you which were perpetrated by those calling themselves Christian.  These atrocities in no way reflect Jesus, Who Himself a Jew, embraced the Law and the Prophets.  As His Followers, we too affirm them and embrace them, and in that affirming and embracing we say to you and to the world that we will stand with the Jewish people as long as we have breath.

The concentration camps in Europe stand as silent sentinels to the past barbarity of the human race, not just Christians.  Anti-Semitism knows no ethnic, creedal, or political bounds.  But we repeat the words engraved and openly displayed at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial: "Never Again."  By that we mean we are yours.  You will never be attacked as a people while we who are Christians stand by and do nothing.

We covenant with you that while others have stood silent during your times of suffering, we, the Community of those who follow Jesus, will never be silent, never abandon you, and covenant to supply you quarter should any present or future

events make that necessary.  Our prayer, as part of the Christian Community in Pittsburgh, is that you will always remember this commitment we make to you this First Day of May, 2011.

(Composed by Woody Barnette, April, 2011)

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

“Foolishness,” Or, “Power”— Our Choice

"The Word of the Cross is...the power of God."  (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV)

The Holy Spirit spends some time in 1 Corinthians 1 & 2 teaching that preaching, and I might add, teaching, witnessing, etc., should not be, as the context declares, "....with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power....For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the absurdity of what we preach to save those who believe."  And to the world, the Cross of Jesus is an, "absurdity."  

Ah, "....but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God."  People can try the "figure-it-out" approach, or the "receiving" approach.  Reasoning, wisdom of man has no power in the face of, "....the power of God."  Think of what Jesus did on the cross.  Think of what Jesus did when He turned your life around, taking you from the "road to perdition," to the glories of His Heavenly Kingdom.  Think of the keeping power of Jesus, no reasoning can explain the working of Jesus in our lives.  We just receive Him/His working and praise and thank Him, "....a stumbling block to the Jews and absurdity to Gentiles."

Instead of attempting to figure out the workings of God in our lives, enjoy and live in the glories of the "finished work of the Cross."  God's wisdom finishes things in our lives.  Human eloquence and wisdom just keep stringing us along, no answers, just perpetual confusion.  "God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong....". If you ever battle a sense of, "I'm just not smart enough," or, "I just can't understand," or, "I just can't seem to....," no problem.  "God chose what is low and despised in the world...so that He might reduce to nothing the things that are, so that no one may [be able to] boast in the presence of God." (Amplified)

Father, in Jesus' Name, May the words of the song always be mine, "In the Cross of Christ I glory, towering o're the wrecks of time." Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'" "Looking unto Jesus" Hebrews 12:2

“Now To Him”

"Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the Eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—� to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!  Amen."  (Romans 16:25-27, ESV)

This was one of my today's readings.  It has been a favorite Scripture to pray over people when we have sent them out in the missions fields.  

I read this today in the Stadtmitte (city center, or middle of the city) of Berlin.  The UBahn stop is called, "Stadtmitte."  This platform was opened as U2 on October 1, 1908, and was originally called Friedrichstrasse.   Little did Berliners know what the succeeding century would bring them.  But I can tell you from what little I know that the historic German culture was a very militaristic culture, just as Japan.  The only way to win against such a culture is to destroy it; that is what WW II did.  Yet, instead of repentance and believing the Gospel, the German has largely relied on his touted repetition of scientific brilliance.  Germany is the strongest economy in 

Europe and the fourth largest in the world.  For them, they worked their way "out of the ashes."  Sound familiar?

Now what?  Well, just as for the salvation of you and me, it is nothing but, "....the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the...prophetic writings...," which will bring the salvation and revival to the nations for which so many of us pray.  This preaching, "....according to the prophetic writings...," is another way of saying what Paul said to Timothy, "Preach the Word."  It is largely absent in today's Germany, just as in the United States of America.  I can say with absolute authority, however, that if this, "....preaching of Jesus Christ according to the...prophetic writings...," does not returned to Germany and the nations of the world, nothing else will bring the revival which we all seek.  And our text should not only govern the preaching, but also the praying, worship and service of the Church to our communities and, "to the uttermost part of the earth."  

Father, in Jesus' Name, strengthen and empower me in, "....the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the prophetic writings..," and in the living of the same.  Amen.

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* Sarah and I return to the States after midnight, Wednesday.  We appreciate any prayers. 

* I will be preaching in meetings of the Renewed Strength Church north of Dayton, Ohio, this coming Sunday.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not the  of us pray only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'" "Looking unto Jesus" Hebrews 12:2