Wait!  We're missing it!  "...they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons...You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends."  Luke 21:12

Synagogues?  In our culture, that means churches.  Betrayed?  Betrayal can only come from someone who you thought was on your side.  You can't be betrayed by your enemy.  I'm worried that much of the church has already been, and is being, deceived by how we view the end times.  We look at the blatant persecution of the apostles and Jesus - crucifyings, beatings, stonings, etc. - and that becomes our definition of persecution; extreme physical abuse.  And if we aren't careful, we see the Roman soldiers and mention of the empire of Caesar and we attribute the persecutions to outsiders.  When the lead men who actually labored for the Crucifixion of Jesus and His followers, like Caiaphas the high priest, were the equivalent of the pastor of a large church in today's U.S.

If you were to re-create this scene today in the U.S., headlines would read, "Pastor so & so of (insert any denomination or church here) leads his congregation in the capturing of a local traveling prophet, Jesus Christ.  President Obama and his officials tried their best to pardon Jesus, but the church would have none of it, demanding that he be executed immediately."

We look for false prophets among the politicians and persecution from those outside the church, hardening our hearts toward the lost, the future "found sheep" of Jesus.  Jesus clearly said "synagogues" (churches) and "betrayal by friends and relatives".  We say that we would die for Christ.  We say that we would be beaten for Him.  But what about when your church turns on you, or your father or brother or best friend questions your salvation because God has directed you to live a way that is not normal to the orderly American church? 

Personally, I have been so worried about offending my brethren inside the church that I have procrastinated in God's work for me.  If I am truly operating in the Spirit of God, things are going to happen that cannot be explained by natural understanding.  When men don't understand something, they oppose it.  The spirit of religion and legalism is a great hindrance in the church.  When the power of the Holy Spirit breaks into that religion, it is going to hurt some feelings and cause some opposition.  I can't apologize for that.  I simply have to be yielded to what the Spirit will do in my life.  So I'm praying for boldness to speak and to do what God has called me to speak and to do.  To fear Him and His word over man and his word. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I want to bring offense to anyone.  But true Christ followers are going to shake things up.  When the Supernatural overtakes the natural, walls are broken down, boundaries are crossed, routines are interrupted.  We must live with the understanding that our greatest opposition will not be President Obama, the government, terrorism, etc.  Our greatest opposition will be the same as that of Jesus: the clean and polished spirit of religion.  Jesus Himself said these words:

 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;  and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."  Matthew 10:34-39

The only constant in my life is Jesus Christ.  May the Spirit of God give us boldness to face our adversaries and brethren alike.  May our anointed works draw the line in the sand, so that we will know who opposes us and who is for us.  May we be free from the fear of men and turn our efforts to the fear of Almighty God to see His glory invade earth. 

And merry Christmas!  "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High...and His kingdom will have no end.”  Luke 1:30 & 32 

Isaiah 40

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it will be like to be with God in the Kingdom He will restore to us.  Seeing the latest Chronicles of Narnia movie surely didn't help to ease my longing for the return of the Jesus.  In my opinion, C.S. Lewis paints a better picture of the Kingdom of God than any other writer I've read (or watched).  I believe there is much truth in the way he portrays things to "work" - darkness creeping into the heart of man, the duty of man along the journey, and the ultimate power and dominion of God. 

I love how he has a purpose for each character along the way; both in individual development and as a vital piece of the ultimate goal.  Our lives are just like that - each man, woman, and child has a God-given part to play in which we may be effective for the Kingdom.  A very miraculous thing begins to happen as we walk more and more in our God-given gifts, talents, and circumstances: the environment within and around us begins to change.  I begin to see the effect of my actions; I become effective.  People treat me differently, things work when I put myself out there to make them work, and the general response of the world around me is transformed.  All because I have begun to live in the way I was created to live; as an adopted son (or daughter) of the Most High God.  

All of this is well and good because I have turned what could be a very negative life into a very positive one.  This is not any "prosperity gospel" message.  I'm not saying that we all get rich and nothing bad ever happens.  I'm simply saying that the transformation of my mind in Christ (Rom 12:2), and actions based on that renewal, creates an outward transformation of the environment God has placed me in.  Could this be what Isaiah was talking about when he prophesied about the message of John the Baptist in Isaiah 40:3-5? 

    "..prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together."

John's message to God's people was to make preparations for the appearance of our Lord.  Jesus brought Salvation to earth and descended into Heaven.  But guess what, He's coming back!  In the meantime, God has prepared specific things for us to accomplish while here on earth (Eph 2:10).  The works that He has prepared for me are not only to build my character and reach the lost, they are ultimately to prepare an environment that welcomes His return.

  

We are preparing a path for Jesus in the way we live our life.  The great thing is that we are not alone in our work.  He has left us a helper, His Holy Spirit, to be the very eyes, ears, and voice of God Himself as we make preparations for the return of the King.  I don't mean to diminish in any way the glorious works of God and say it's all about my work here on earth.  It is God who gives me my purpose and my means to carry it out.  Jesus said that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). The point that I am trying to make is that I think it's time we start doing all things.