Grace XV - The Remains are Most Precious

Foundational Grace

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

If we can just embrace the idea that our God created the universe in seven days we would have the beginning of an understanding of just who He is.  He accomplished an amazing amount of work during that time all by Himself.  He doesn’t NEED us to be alive or active.  It is His FERVENT DESIRE to link up with us, to accomplish something special using our God given, God breathed skills that motivates Him.  This universe is made up of His energy.  It’s not made up of molecules and stars and planets.  On a quantum level it is made up of energy.  The energy is made up of light in its various components; and that light is directly made up by God (1 John 1:5). 

Why does the universe work (1 John 4:8)?  Why is it so perfectly balanced and meet our needs so wonderfully?  Because God cares.  Scripture says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  That’s awesome!  What does it mean?  It means you must believe that God is and that He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him.  If He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him then faith which is the substance (something you can hold in your hand) of things hoped for and the evidence (something you can observe or see) of things not seen then FAITH is the power behind all the miracles (Hebrews 11:1).  Okay, I get that; but what causes faith to work?  I’m glad you asked.

It’s not electricity or light or power.

It’s Love. 

Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6).  It is God’s motivation in everything He does for us.  God loves us so much He sent Jesus (John 3:16).  God loves us so much He made our world.  God loves us so much He has given us time to discover Him in honesty and truth rather than (as many scientists do) try to figure out a situation in which He does not exist (Romans 2:4).  Those of us who know Him and abide in Him know that we are His building and His husbandry.  What does that mean?  It means that we are the gardens of the Lord and He is the one who gives us sun and rain and fertilizes us with His Word and other things we need.  Above all else…God cares.

I want to leave you with this thought.  If you have been wounded throughout your life and do not know how to love or be loved, the Word of God can heal you.  If you have made wrong decision after wrong decision, the Word of God can deliver you.  If you see things differently than the Word, the beauty of His Word is that it is alive and powerful and can separate the wrong attitudes many of us have and set us free to walk in health (Hebrews 4:12).  That means that no matter how abused you may have been, no matter how wounded your life and awful your past, God can heal you (Joel 2:21-27).

1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.  But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

There is a lot in this verse.  Paul has been given the grace of a WISE master builder.  Notice what he does with that grace.  He doesn’t try to build the entire house on his own, he is satisfied with the foundation.  You can’t be everything to everyone.  The wondrous miracle of God is that one plants and another waters but God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:1-8).  It also serves as a warning.  If God has built a strong foundation and you try to build a rickety house on that foundation, God will not be pleased with you. 

Christians, like natural humans, need a large spiritual gene pool to be healthy.  There is a name for inbred Christian churches that claim to have the only true form of doctrine and keep their members away from any polluting influences.  They call them cults.  Cults are little one sided anemic Hitler worlds that twist the truth and destroy all opposition.  In my travels I have discovered an extremely important fact.  I can get a pure, sure, Spirit filled Word of God almost anywhere.  I have gotten them in Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Interdenominational, Independent, Lutheran and Church of Christ churches.  I have also gotten useless fluff in those same types of churches.  When we are well rounded in our Biblical education we will all be better off. 

Well rounded does not mean believing lies or disbelieving the most important truths of the Bible.  Paul made it clear when he prayed that anyone who took biblical truths away or denied them would be anathema, a cursed soul.  Salvation through Christ alone is a foundational truth and can not be denied (Acts 4:12).  It is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).  Consider that Paul, Peter, Luke, Matthew, Mark, James and especially John all were anointed by the Holy Spirit to give us clear instruction and ALL of them had a powerful burden for a different aspect of God’s law. 

Some taught fatherhood and family, some faith and some the glory and beauty of love.  Each of their lessons flow together by the grace of God and His Spirit.  Our Christian scripture is contained in 66 books written by more than 40 authors over thousands of years and it is all interconnected by the Holy Spirit to the point where Old and New Testament scriptures mesh flawlessly into one another.  Your ministry and mine may not always be in lockstep with one another but they will ALWAYS be in step with His Spirit.  He is not limited; we are.  He is not small minded; we are.  We must learn to appreciate each other along with the diversity and unity we bring through His Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY foundation.  Period.  The foundation has been laid.  If anyone comes along later in history and says that they have a greater purpose than Jesus or deeper wisdom that Jesus gave…they are LYING or DECEIVED.  He is the LIVING, ETERNAL Son of God.  No man, woman or spirit can ever top that.  Accept NO substitutes.

1 Corinthians 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Everything we do will be tested in the fire.  When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tossed into the fiery furnace it was a test.  Their faith saved them.  Their faith convinced Nebuchadnezzar.  Your trials are not just for your sake.  They are often to help draw others in as well.  If your works are based in faith they will survive the trials.  If they are a mix of all sorts of things, only the gold, silver and precious stones will survive.  The wood, hay and stubble will be burned away.  This is why it DOES ‘take all that’ because you have to TAKE IT when your life begins to crumble around you.  You MUST increase those parts that remain (Revelation 3:2) and cast aside every weight (Hebrews 12:1) that tries to drag us down.

1 Corinthians 3:14 If any man's work abide (after that testing) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

I once had a vision of our church congregation being suspended by hundreds of beautiful, thick columns.  At the bottom of each column was a man or woman holding on for dear life.  Beneath each person was Hell.  I saw God with a torch in his hand and he held that torch briefly under each column.  Some columns flared as if made completely of straw.  The person beneath fell until they were swallowed up by Hell.  A very few flickered slightly as the torch came to bear and you could hardly see any difference.  The person still held on easily.  Most flared with different levels of fire and ten, twenty, thirty percent and more of their column flared into brilliance.  The people below hung safely by slender threads of gold.  A few were left holding on to one single thread of gold and for all its fineness it held them.

I asked God what it all meant.  He said everyone’s works must be tested.  Those without Christ burn completely leaving nothing behind to hold them.  Those who have surrendered their entire lives to the Lord are like those columns that flare just a bit but appear untouched afterwards.  The rest vary depending on how much of their life is surrendered to God but all are saved.  We often blame our trials on the devil when it is God who must test us so we might be made stronger.  Those who keep all their columns have passed many trials and have maintained their faith through many seasons of testing.

When they go to be with the Lord, each will receive a reward for their faithfulness, according to what is left.  The word for reward is misthos.  It means to receive ones wages.  The wages of SIN is DEATH.  The gift of God is eternal life.  You can’t earn it but you CAN refuse it.  Even though the most precious thing we can receive from God is a GIFT, we do receive wages.  These wages are living wages from a living God.  He only gives those wages to the sons whose works survive the fire.  This is why it comes as such a surprise to new saints when their entire life seems to turn upside down.  It isn’t because God doesn’t care or isn’t there for them; it’s because we don’t prepare new saints for the testing process. 

Cain and Abel had the same education and opportunities.  One was a shepherd and the other a farmer but both knew which gifts God expected.  Cain could have offered some of his crop to Abel for an animal to be sacrificed, but HE decided God would accept the work of His hands rather than an act of faith.  God does not accept the works of our hands UNLESS those works are motivated by faith.  Faith without works is DEAD (James 2:18-26) because it is alone and unmoving.   Works without faith are dead because the life of God required to keep them through the fire is missing.  God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because it was based in faith.  He would not accept Cain’s because it was based in pride of accomplishment over obedience.  Cain’s refusal to give God what He wanted was the very first sign of man’s fallen nature overcoming His Word.

1 Corinthians 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Whether you make it in with a smell of smoke or through years of faithful service it is better to trust God in all things.  Your righteousness is as a filthy rag, but the works you have accomplished in His righteousness will endure.  Let your life be a great example of faith filled accomplishments beloved.

Bishop J

This Call Is Eternal

The other day I said we need to keep moving.  I have dealt with fear my whole life.  It has often paralyzed me and caused me to be ineffective in life and ministry.  God had to take me out of my comfort zone in order to force me to press past that fear to a place where the fear of missing God’s best for my life was much greater than any fear of stepping out.  Why am I revealing this embarrassing truth about my character?  Because when I fast my natural man ceases to be in control and my spirit man reigns.  On another post I mentioned Romans 7:15-25 which explains how often we fail God no matter how hard we try to be faithful.  Fasting raises up our spirit man to be able to accomplish much more than we ordinarily can…even though we are in Christ.  Jesus Himself said, “This kind only comes out by fasting and prayer (Matthew 17:21).”

Another thing that makes things possible is God’s Word.  John chapter one says that Jesus is the Word of God and was made flesh.  Consider this.  God’s Word is so perfect and so very much alive that by separating its attributes from His own self and touching those eternal attributes to a young woman it was able to reproduce itself inside a human being and became pure enough and holy enough to suffice as a sacrifice for our eternal lives.  In addition it still contained all the power of the Godhead in human form and was complete enough that this man Jesus was able to grow from a baby to a youth to an adult without anyone recognizing any differences in him.  He chose to live as one of us and the Word that ruled His life and character was more than able to allow Him to live through all stages of life without anyone seeing Him as a freak or peculiar in any way.

So what you ask?  So…if God’s Word is complete enough to live a brilliant human life and to function flawlessly in that manner and still be so very much more, it must also be more than sufficient to meet our every possible need in everyday life.  His Word is sufficient to live.  His Word is sufficient to provide.  His Word is sufficient to prosper you.  His Word is sufficient to begin scientific experiments.  His Word is sufficient to create the universe (no matter what mankind thinks).  His Word is sufficient to judge mankind.  When you have a need and that need is far beyond your ability to obtain help, His Word is there to make up ANY lack on your part.

Let me give you the example I have received.  A couple years ago someone called me up at Faith Temple to tell me God had a Word for me.  He said that I was to read a portion of scripture every single day for a month.  This Word was, I believe, in preparation for the ministry I am stepping into now but it came at a time prior; a time of darkness in my life.  The Word is Joshua chapter one verses one through nine and it reads:

Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses 'minister, saying,

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise (in other words, KEEP MOVING!), go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses  (It’s YOURS!  No one can take it away).

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast  (It is a WIDE place, exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think) (Ephesians 3:20).

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life:  as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee:  I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (You will NOT be alone.  You will not FIGHT these battles.  GOD WILL).

6 Be strong and of a good courage (Do not accept Satan’s lies.  Do not accept FEAR):  for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous (I repeat a SECOND time.  Do not accept FEAR), that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee:  turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest (Do what I lead you to do even when it makes no sense.  My wisdom is greater than man’s).

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (Herein lies your strength.  You have no strength outside My Word!); but thou shalt MEDITATE therein DAY AND NIGHT, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed (For the THIRD time, do not let FEAR overcome you): for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest (I am not sending you out alone.  Whether you see them or not I have sent road levelers and way makers ahead of you.  I have prepared your finances and have lined up those whose needs you will meet.)

In this passage God gave me promises and encouragements.  He did something else.  We all know that seven is the number of completion.  God didn’t tell me to be strong and very courageous seven times.  The work is not complete in me.  I am not done, finished, perfected.  God told me three times, the number of God, the number of the Trinity.  He is telling me that I am not going out as the complete package.  He is telling me that I am going out but I will NEVER be alone.  He is coming with me WITHERSOEVER I go.  He is coming with me in all the dark alleyways and circumstances.  I WILL NEVER BE ABANDONED OR EVEN TAKE A SINGLE STEP ALONE.

Maybe you don’t need this.  Perhaps you’re one of those bold individuals who has never met a stranger in their life and is excited to step out in new and fascinating situations.  That’s okay.  There are verses in this book for YOU!  I’m telling you what gets me up and moving in the morning.  I’m telling you what helps me stand tall when I can hear knees knock.  When I wear the complete armor of God it is His armor, not something made for me.  It is God’s own armor and He personally gave it to me to wear and walk in.

I have a friend in Riverside named Greg Sorrells.  He and I don’t always agree on everything but one thing we do agree on is that God’s Word is ALL we really need to face the worst Satan can throw against us.  Greg has a wonderful uplook.  Whenever things get bad He knows it’s time to look up, up to the Word which is always higher than we are.  Man can fall or stumble but the Word of the Lord is eternal and never fails.

I would like to add one last point to all this.  It is a fact that over four thousand churches close in this country every year.  It is a fact that hundreds of ministers are fleeing ministry because they just don’t believe it any more.  It is a fact that it is much easier to get a job doing something you like or even love than it is to build a ministry for the Lord.  All these things are facts. 

It is also a fact that those four thousand churches that closed have lost their vision.  They ceased to be inspired and empowered by the miraculous God we serve and began to listen to the whispered lies of Satan as he worked discouragement after discouragement into their lives.  I have had a few jobs I loved to do.  God made me quit.  I have had many ideas for a future that did not include ministry.  God changed my focus.  That word FOCUS is vital in this life we live.  Without a vision the people perish and it is the leader who brings the vision.  Vision comes from stepping outside yourself and into God, into the divine, into the eternal.  Vision is not normal.  Ministry is not normal.  Life in Christ is not normal.  It is extraordinary, miraculous, faith filled, passionate, vigorous and lively and above all it is lived with the eternal one filling every inch of your mortal bodies with His own Spirit.

I am a pastor.  I have only one member and three possibles but I AM A PASTOR.  I am responsible for these people and pray for them daily.  I AM A BISHOP.  I was ordained so and have been rebuked for attempting to set it aside.  I have churches in at least four countries who depend on me.  I AM CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE.  One day I will look in the mirror and see that reflection in my life.  All these things and more I am called to be and by the grace and mercy and love and power of God I WILL BE!  The only way I can fail is to cease to be miraculous, spiritual and peculiar.  Ordinary doesn’t make it in this life.

Beloved, I pray God’s choicest blessings upon you all.  I rejoice in you for the sake of the future God has planned for each of you.  His Word is sufficient.  His Grace is sufficient.  His Love is sufficient.  Nothing else is.  Never forget that.  If your eyes ever get dim and your focus is not what it should be in Christ then there is only one reason.  You are TOO FAR AWAY.  Move Up!

Bishop J

Grace XIV - Grace To Continue

Marking Grace

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

In the last lesson I said you should always surround yourself with people who support the vision God has given you and believe with you that it will come to pass.  I also mentioned that there are those who disbelieve and would involve others in their disbelief (2 Peter 2:14-18).  Notice it says you should avoid these people.  Satan protects his successes with tremendous jealousy.  The homosexual community consists of less than two percent of adult Americans and yet they have managed to obtain a far higher percentage of public political or media related jobs.  Satan has always been the prince of the power of the air.  He uses the airwaves to promote his agenda.

By one study, Forty-two percent of Hollywood acting positions are held by homosexual actors and we already know that any non-homosexual actor who speaks out against the lifestyle will be loudly and powerfully attacked in media.  Even though it is estimated that 10-15 percent of the shows produced by Hollywood contain at least one gay or lesbian character, this has caused GLAAD to complain that their lifestyle is not receiving enough positive reinforcement.  The number of shows and public media rhetoric has caused many Americans to believe that almost 25% of the public is gay or lesbian when the numbers are less than one tenth that.

On the opposite side, Christians and religious people are met with derision in media.  We are made to look like angry violent people who hate anyone not like ourselves.  One of my favorite Bible teachers, Chuck Missler, has said that the only sure way to get quality news reports in this country is to listen to foreign news networks.  He says that the newspapers in England are far more likely to report accurately than American newspapers.  The London Times is now what the New York Times used to be.  Sadly, words like unbiased and equality are only meant for the media’s views.  As Paul wrote two thousand years ago, these godless people have a clear and focused agenda and they will say and do whatever they must to hide the truth for their purposes.

Romans 16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

In verse 19, Paul is lauding the Roman church for their obedience to God.  His concern was directly connected to the fact that people were beginning to talk about that obedience.  When you give all to serve the Lord you will be heard and when that happens your words will be judged and people will speak.  In recent news, Phil Robertson made a very scriptural statement about certain lifestyles.  The furor in Hollywood and media showed just how overrepresented certain lifestyles are in that place.  Every editorialist I read was dumbfounded by the support Phil received from the general public.  They believe that we are a bunch of stupid, uneducated hicks who have no sense at all.  Not one of them considered that it was they who were out of step and not the general public.

Paul’s warning is that we should be wise though the word used denotes mature and full of knowledge.  The reason thousands of churches are closing and pastors are falling into sin is that they are not mature and filled with knowledge of God’s Word.  They are not surrendered but have begun to accept the accolades and compliments of their members as something earned rather than a blessing granted by God’s grace.  When I see families who live fully for the Lord they are often mocked, even by those in the church.  If you see nothing wrong with drinking wine or spending time in casinos watching shows designed for the unsaved, you are too close to the world. 

I have heard it repeated often in the church, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” which is a quote from a popular advertisement.  Certainly what happens in Vegas will haunt your days unless you repent and turn from your wicked ways.  If anyone reads this last sentence and says, “Relax preacher, it’s not that serious,” then you are too far from the position required to live verse 19.  True Christians are not gossipers, they don’t backbite or backstab.  True Christians live to draw closer to the miracle and blessing that is a walk with God. 

Paul says that after becoming mature and full of knowledge in God’s Word, you should remain simple regarding evil and sin.  This word translated simple means pure like refined gold; harmless and blameless.  Pure gold is tried in fire, not produced by mixing with tin, silver or some other substance.  To refine Gold you must heat it beyond what any other metals can endure and then inject it with pure air to burn up those impurities.  Pure gold is soft and malleable and can easily be tainted by pressing impurities into it.  Gold must be protected to retain its purity, it must remain separate from the polluted.  When gold is turned into rings, it is mixed with other metals to give it more hardness.  Tricksters try to tell us we need that hardness to survive.  This is a lie.  In our innocence we must remember that to be open and surrendered to God we must also guard against the wiles (deceitful lies) of the enemy.  Our hearts must remain tender toward God and man while being wise to the wiles of the enemy and therefore unaffected by them.

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

We have been at war with Satan since Adam and Eve allowed him to slither into the garden with lies full of honey.  Genesis 3:15 gave us the ability to step on Satan’s head.  It actually shows God explaining to Satan how limited his power is.  From the beginning we have had the ability in God to defeat him.  Sadly, he is the prince of lies and has become very good at tricking us into believing those lies.  In Christ, Satan has his head bruised under our feet by the actions of God Himself.  Because of the grace we have in Christ, we succeed against Satan through God’s power. 

This is another reason to become Word Warriors so that when Satan tries to defeat us…like he did with Jesus during His fast…we will experience the living Word of God rising up in us to save the day.

The Grace of God

1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are times when you read a salutation at the beginning of a letter and quickly read through it to get to the good stuff.  1 Corinthians is a book FILLED with good things so I had to stop myself and re-read the salutation.  First you have to ask yourself who ordained Paul.  We are always expecting to see someone being ordained in a ceremony before someone of higher rank.  Paul was a Pharisee who received his Jewish title by going through an exhaustive process to be judged by three of his contemporaries.  Obviously Paul was not a Levite since he was of the tribe of Benjamin so he could never be a priest. 

Most people believe that Pharisees and Sadducees were another name for the priests.  They may feel that the two were of opposite political parties but the same job.  In actuality, the Pharisees believed the scripture and sought to live their lives in purity and holiness before the Lord.  The Sadducees were even more political and did not believe in spirit or angels (like the liberal churches today).  To them everything was allegory.  These two groups had a great deal of political clout but they were separate from the true Kohen, the Priests and descendants of Levi.  The only thing all three of these groups could agree on was that Jesus had to go.

Paul, or Saul as he was called before his conversion to Christianity, was a Pharisee of the Pharisees.  This meant he went to all the best schools and managed to live his life perfectly before God as stated in the Torah.  Prior to his salvation he was a young man full of fire and zeal.  When he persecuted the church it was out of a strong moral sense of right and wrong.  Once Christ captured his heart on the road to Damascus he became an Apostle.  I can’t say that an Apostle MUST meet Christ personally, but every true Apostle I have ever known has had that personal one on one meeting with their Lord.  I am not talking about accepting Christ as Savior.  I am talking about having a personal meeting with the visible Christ. 

I am not an Apostle but I have had such a personal experience with Jesus.  It happened many years ago and was one of the most exciting and terrifying experiences in my life.  To this day I am grieved that I left the church and went home because of the awe I felt.  It was too frightening to continue.  I thought my heart would jump out of my chest.  It is my belief that an Apostle knows he is called to be an Apostle more so than any other 5-fold ministry.  A prophet may know his gifts without fully knowing he is called to be a prophet, rather than one who merely prophesy’s.  Not all who prophesy are prophets.  I have no delusions of grandeur.  I do believe I will be an apostle one day.  I was raised by a father in the gospel who was an apostle.  Am I ready?  It’s not for me to say.  One day the Lord will confirm it. 

Paul’s ordination as an Apostle came by Jesus personally and was confirmed by those who came and observed the gifts of God manifested in his life.  It took some time for the rest of the church to come meet him because they were terrified by the man with orders to arrest Christians on sight.  It literally took prophetic gifts to convince some to take a chance on the man from Tarsus (Acts 9:10). 

Sosthenes is something of an unknown.  There was a Rabbi named Sosthenes who refused to arrest Paul at the order of the Jews (Acts 18:17).  He was the chief ruler of the Synagogue in Corinth.  Some believe it was another name for Crispis who was mentioned in Acts 18 and 1 Corinthians 1.  Looking at verse two, do you see that it says, “called to be saints?”  Being a saint is not a snap your finger and call it done prospect.  Being a saint is like being a husband; it involves more than marrying a woman or in this circumstance, marrying Jesus.  Being a saint is a process of growth and learning that never ends, in fact, it is never allowed to end, either by God or us.  Being a saint continues as the scripture says …until the day of the Lord (Philippians 1:6). 

You never arrive because your flesh always fights you.  It is a daily climb up the mountain of holiness with brief pauses in each valley of refreshing.  We are supposed to place our bodies under subjection and crucify the flesh.  Saints who fail to acknowledge the absolute truth of scripture or who say “it doesn’t take all that” have already failed the process by ending it.  God in His faithfulness will continue to press at you but unless your mind is focused on the truth of God’s growth process, you might miss these moments as something else.

The end of this salutation is a prayer from Paul down through the ages to you.  “Grace, unmerited favor from God’s throne to you; not only from God who we have the honor of calling “abba, Father (Romans 8), but from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  What a blessing.  Receive it for yourself and walk in it beloved.

1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 4 begins, “I thank my God CONTINUALLY on your behalf for the GRACE (unmerited favor of God) which was given to you by Jesus Christ.  Because of this grace you are made wealthy BY Jesus through every word you speak, write or read (logos), and in every bit of understanding you have received (gnosis).  This understanding and knowledge makes it apparent (observable and clear) and reveals that the ONGOING testimony of the sacrifice of Christ’s suffering has been confirmed and has taken root in you.  You have come behind in NO gift and faithfully wait for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, even as we do.  This same Jesus will confirm by His Word and His Spirit and His actions in Your life that you are His, even to the end of your life and this world.  His purpose in doing this is that you might be made blameless through His blood and actions until He returns for His church.

What was your reaction when you read this last paragraph?  I saw a sign once that said, “Wrong answers are $ .50  Right answers are $2.  Dumb looks are still free.  If it doesn’t make sense to you I’d like to try and elaborate just a bit.

First of all, Paul thanked God continually (and some might say continuously) for the saints in Corinth.  In other salutations he says, “I NEVER CEASE to give thanks to God for you.  Paul made it a habitual act to thank God for those he was allowed to minister to.  We know grace came by Christ Jesus and that we are made wealthy in word and understanding.  How does this make us wealthy?  Because the Word is LIVING and POWERFUL and sharper than any two edged sword…  God’s Word accomplishes actual work and that work is always found in communion with Jesus.

When I wrote about the ongoing testimony of the work of Christ on the cross, I mean that it is like a river that follows you throughout your life.  It may not appear to change from day to day or to accomplish anything, but to use a word from my brother Pastor Barry E. Knight’s new book “Impactability” on paperback from Amazon, it IMPACTS everything you are and do in Christ.  When Jesus impacts our life on a day by day, moment by moment basis, it causes us to impact others on a day by day, moment by moment basis.  As long as we are MOVING and PRESSING FORWARD in Christ, God will use that motion and guide it in the direction HE chooses.

By Jesus’ actions your actions are made exceedingly lively.  By God’s direction, your movements are made extraordinarily focused, effective and efficient.  As I have been reminded lately, a body or person who is not moving will usually continue to stay still.  A person or body who IS moving will continue to move, especially one who moves in Christ.  He takes what we have to offer and makes it into something extraordinary so that wondrous excitement gives us the push we need to continue moving.  If you must solicit help to begin moving then do so.  Once you are moving…continue. 

People who live out of doors will usually start a fire and never let it go out.  Keeping it going is easy.  Starting a fire from cold wood is difficult, especially if the fire in your life is being rained on by negative people.  Take Paul’s encouragement and make your move.  Once you are moving, never stop; never quit; never cease.  Someone once said, you can rest when you’re dead because when you’re resting you’re dead.  Scripture says that times of refreshing will come.  Refreshing yourself is an action.  Rest is inaction.  Be refreshed but sleep later.  If you examine all the great men and women of faith in scripture they had certain things in common.  They were active, always moving and they were almost always dealing with different crisis. 

Preachers have quit pastoring because trials kept coming and there never seemed to be any end in sight.  The beauty of that is that God tirelessly set them free from their trials and refreshed them between their trials.  Pastors labor in the field of their congregation’s lives.  It’s what they do.  Lives are often messy.  That’s how it is.  Strength and commitment come from God.  It’s a free gift.  Walk in it and you will never find yourself without strength.

Bishop J

Grace XIII - Your Grace, My Grace, Our Grace. There's Enough For All

Ministry Grace

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Beseech is parakaleo which is quite close to paraklete.  We know that paraklete or paraclete means comforter and is another name for the Holy Spirit.  Paul is not simply begging people to present their bodies a living sacrifice but does so for their comfort and encouragement.  In Satan’s world life is all about pushing the envelope and discovering what you can get away with.  I do not personally drink alcohol and while I know drinking some wine is not a sin, being drunk is.  For me the choice is simple.  I avoid drinking any alcohol and there is never any possibility for me to become drunk or even to be the least impaired by drink.

Paul’s choice of parakaleo here is to beg you to do something for your own good; not because it is a sin.  There are many things you can do to your body that are not sins and yet they are not good for you.  God doesn’t require Christians to eat Kosher (Jewish Rabbi Approved) food.  He forbids the partaking of blood or blood products in food (which some have - I believe mistakenly - taken to mean transfusions needed for your health).  He forbids food that has been strangled to death.  Not only is it inhumane but it was often part of pagan religious celebrations. 

Paul’s admonitions for gentile Christians listed only four things to abstain from; things offered to idols, things strangled, blood and fornication (Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25).  There were 613 Hebrew laws to be obeyed in the Torah.  New Christians and Jewish converts were giddy with the freedoms they enjoyed and unfortunately those freedoms eventually led to a lack of consecration and diligence towards God’s service.  In any group there are legalists who will split every word and comment to try and define the boundaries of their freedom.  In that same group are those who try to block every freedom out of fear that the new saints will not have the diligence and discipline to succeed.

Paul’s attitude toward this dilemma was to suggest that every saint of God present their bodies as a living and continuing sacrifice that was holy and therefore acceptable to God.  He considered this to be our ‘reasonable’ service.  If your attitude to God is one of willingness to do all to draw closer then you will not flinch if the pastor calls a fast or requires you to attend regular Bible Studies.  In these cases your proper first response would be, “Awesome, another opportunity to draw closer to God.” 

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This word ‘conformed’ means to keep the same patterns in your life as the world does.  Have you ever met deeply devout Christians and so called ‘rice’ Christians.  What a difference! You know what ‘rice’ Christians are, they only come to weddings (where they throw rice) and other special occasions.  They might say, “It doesn’t take all that to serve God.”  If Paul is begging you to be a living SACRIFICE then he expects you to actually sacrifice something for the Lord.  Your life ought to portray a difference that is visible to those around you.  The pattern of your life should not be that of the unsaved world.

He continues to say that if we live this sacrificial life we should be equipped to portray an example of a life that is beneficial, well pleasing and likely to bring you an accolade from the Father and finally, we will have become mature and well seasoned in the things of God.  At this point you will be in a position to give an answer when someone comes to you with hard questions.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.  Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.  He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.”  God has called evangelists, pastors, teachers, prophets, apostles, helps, governments and works.  There are doorkeepers (ushers), deacons and musicians.  Each one of us received a measure of faith when we accepted Christ into our lives and those measures can be added to or built upon. 

I have known doorkeepers who were faithful, diligent and satisfied with their position.  It is an important and needed position and yet many consider it beneath them.  You might have faith to lead a wife and children and then again you might have faith to lead thousands as a pastor.  Only God and sometimes you, know the measure God has given to you.  Do not press to exit your calling.  1 Corinthians 7:20 says, “…abide (live) in the calling you received from God.”  If you are called to be a servant, rejoice in the fact that God called you no matter the place He called you to.  Whatever that place IT WAS MADE JUST FOR YOU!

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

There is never a reason to envy someone’s gifting.  Another Christian’s gift is nothing compared to yours.  Your gifts were given to you by the creator of the universe.  He chose them specifically for you before this world was created.  God receives no joy watching you stew over someone else’s gifts.  His joy comes when you work with Him to discover your specific gifts and exactly how He wants you to use them.  We are a united body in Christ.  You should rejoice just as much for those around you working in their gifts as you are working in yours and they you. 

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Have you ever asked God, “Lord…what is the grace of my gifts?”  It says in Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 that He has made us kings and priests.  Proverbs 25:2 says it is the glory of God to conceal something but the honor of kings to search it out and discover it.  God is honored when we take time to discover all the attributes and abilities of our calling.  I was struggling in this fast this year.  Finances are dwindling and I began to think, “Who do I think I am to begin a church?  I need to get a job and meet my household needs.” 

In addition to these thoughts the fast has been a difficult trial to both myself and my wife.  I have physical issues I didn’t use to have and they add to the normal discomfort.  All these things and more were piling up before I finally woke up and used some of the discernment God has gifted me with.  I was UNDER ATTACK!  Satan is trying to discourage me and get me to quit.  This wasn’t a normal reaction to a lack of food.  This was demonic oppression. 

Before that realization came God had to nudge me just a bit.  I had been listening to some Chuck Missler teaching when the data card on my phone stopped working.  The only thing left on the phone itself was a lesson by Apostle Bea and she was teaching about spiritual warfare.  I didn’t even listen to the whole thing, just the part where she said, “When I fight, I don’t fight fair.  You don’t have to fight fair when Satan attacks.  You can hide behind God’s promises and strike out safely against Satan and crush his head.”

I looked into the mirror and said, “Idiot!  You’re not fighting!”  I was living in a place where the usual cues of working every day in a church were missing.  Except for my wife, most of the people I come in contact with each day aren’t walking in faith or if they are they aren’t broadcasting it.  We can get to a place in our daily lives where it doesn’t take much for Satan to nudge us into lethargy.  We cease using those miracle gifts God has given to us.  We stop using the powerful gifts of prayer and faith and begin to be like the dying goldfish that floats slowly to the surface instead of staying deep where the water is full of life.

Ministry Grace

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

The God of HOPE.  Proverbs 13:12 says that hope deferred makes the heart sick but when your answer comes it is a tree of life.  Romans 5:5 says that hope is NOT ashamed because the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  Once that happens we KNOW that our answer is coming quickly.  Notice Romans 5:5 AND 15:13 both say that the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is intimately concerned with and responsible for fulfilling our hope.  He is the comforter because He knows He is bringing the answer of our hope.

Look at the majesty of that verse!  The God of hope…FILL you with ALL joy and peace in BELIEVING…that you may ABOUND in hope…through the POWER of the Holy Ghost.  He’s not giving you some joy; but all joy and peace (that same peace that passes understanding) in believing (supercharged faith).  Why?  So you may ABOUND (have a super-abundance) in hope.  Hope like that will cause you to take a step out on FAITH (Hebrews 11:1).  What great power is making that hope possible?  The Holy Ghost!  His unlimited power is specifically there to make your hope come to pass.  Can you get ahold of that?

Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

I suppose some might say, “But that is just Paul.  He was an apostle.  We just read about everyone having a different measure of faith.”  Yes he was and yes he did; but so what?  He himself says in verse 14 that he was persuaded that that goodness and knowledge are filled to overflowing in your lives too since they come from God to us all.  Because we all are filled with this special knowledge and assuming we remain humble and gracious, we can in humility admonish and encourage one another.

I would like to offer you a suggestion.  Surround yourself with those who believe in you and keep your relationships healthy.  One reason I was struggling is that my wife was upset with me.  I won’t say anything about that except to say it was my fault and I have dealt with it, repented and apologized.  The point is, my wife is my greatest single source of encouragement next to my daughter Kristi.  She encourages me regularly.  Kristi believes that I can do whatever I set my mind to, especially when God has called me to something.  She probably thinks that if I have less than a thousand members when my church gets going I’m goofing off.  That kind of faith in your spiritual life can’t be purchased.  It is more valuable than rubies and gold. 

Between her distance on the other side of the country, and my wounded wife, my two greatest sources of encouragement were gone.  Satan would whisper, “If you can’t even graciously keep a wife happy what’s wrong with you?  How can you lead a church?”  God said it’s one thing to be attacked for doing well but it’s altogether different to be chastened when you messed up.  When you are being attacked and the attack has elements of truth in it, that attack can be serious indeed.  I can only hope that God whispers to her, “He’s an idiot sometimes but between us we can make something out of him.”  That’s my prayer and I’m sticking to it. 

For you husbands who say you always treat your wife like the queen she is; I want to hear it from her and I want to see her bank account to make sure you didn’t pay her off.

I said all that to say this.  Make sure you are surrounded by encouraging people who believe in you.  Avoid the negative people who seem to expect you to fail.  Pray before every endeavor.  Seek God’s help opening doors to success and closing avenues of failure.  Pray before every test and every new situation.  Make sure your walk is a spiritual one and the Lord and Spirit of all is in your court.

Romans 15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, 16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Remember that Paul was writing to a gentile church.  It is interesting that Peter, a backwoods fisherman of dubious Torah education, was specially anointed to speak to Jews while Paul, the former Pharisee, was more effective ministering to gentiles.  Had God used them the other way, they might have patted themselves on the back for their skills.  God chose to use them where He would get the glory for their success.  This is the greatness of the GRACE of God that you have UNDESERVED favor with Him to accomplish great tasks because you were obedient to Him.  Whenever I hear someone tell me that God would not use them in that manner because that is not where their skills are, I think, WOW, that’s bold!  God doesn’t need your skills.  He needs you to be willing to develop your ability to walk in HIS.

Lord, thank you for the past few days.  They haven’t been fun but they have certainly been educational.  I appreciate you and trust you to continue this wonderful work in my life until the day of the Lord Jesus.  You are my Rock and my source.  I love you Father.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Grace XII - Humbly Obey or Forcefully Humbled

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

This is one of the most troubling things I see in the hearts of men and women today.  They hear the scriptures that tell of Jesus’ love and mercy but forget that those words are based upon the iron will of God.  He doesn’t just expect obedience, He demands it.  Our natural minds will say that it seems mean spirited to send someone to Hell just because they choose to walk their own path.  In God’s mind, he has offered us a narrow path to life (Matthew 7:13-14) and because that way is hard has given us Jesus and the Holy Spirit to make it tolerable. 

You don’t have to obey God.  You can obey your own will, your own desires, your own lusts.  They lead to destruction as surely as if you jump into a seething volcano.  There is one difference though.  Life doesn’t end when someone commits suicide or even dies of old age.  If you commit murder, that person’s life does not end.  There have been any number of murder suicides over the years and in God’s eyes the murderer has chosen to decide for his victim and himself that they are both ready to greet God. 

I was reading how many famous people died in 2013 and was shocked to discover how many were in their twenties and thirties.  The primary cause of death in these famous people who had money and fame was suicide.  That’s right.  They killed themselves.  I don’t know everything that triggers someone to take this route in their lives but each and every one of them suffers from an incredible ignorance of the reality of life.  Death on this realm is not forever. 

Except for a few crazy people who believe they are doing God’s work, those who murderer (themselves or someone else) are not prepared to greet the God they have just offended.  When you take someone’s life before their natural span ends you have chosen their time and have refused to allow God His honor.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit was working on that soul to come to God when you ended their life.  Because you chose to act in the place of God, He, God, has poured their blood on your head.  Because you did not do it in His time, God will require their blood from you…forever.

It’s not enough to say, “Well, I haven’t killed anyone preacher.”  Even if you simply lead someone astray or wound them until they leave God’s house, you have caused grievous harm to their spirit and God will require that blood from you (Mark 9:42).  He does not need to end your life immediately because He can afford to wait until the natural end of your pitiful lost existence.  You will die in your sins of disobedience and arrive in perfectly preserved condition before Him to answer for those sins.  It won’t matter if you believed in Him before you died or not.  God believes in Himself and that is all that matters.  Your life and future will be decided BY HIM for all eternity on that day.

An American song writer, Matt Dylan, once wrote a song, “You gotta serve somebody.”  Even by choosing to disbelieve the God who created this universe, you have chosen to serve someone.  Romans 14:21-23 discusses something as simple as the food we eat.  At the end it makes a tremendously important point.  Habakkuk 2:4 says, “A proud soul is not right before God.  The just will live by faith.”  This extremely important statement is repeated in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38.  In case you didn’t notice that was repeated 3 times, once for Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Now getting back to Romans 14:23.  We are required to live by faith in God.  Sin is the one thing that will keep you from living in peace with God.  Sin is cleansed by faith in Christ (John 1).  No matter what you believe or do not believe, Romans 14:23 says that whatever is lacking in faith is SIN.  You have missed the mark.  

A child obeys their parent because they know there is a punishment involved in disobedience.  A good parent offers love and praise in response to obedience and love and chastening in response to disobedience.  If you are not able to parent because that person refuses to submit to your authority then the answer is to put the lawbreaker away where he can no longer trouble the family. 

We incarcerate criminals to keep them from harming us.  God’s way is to leave you eternally alive in a place of torment for your crimes.  There is no more opportunity for forgiveness because you have chosen to deny the gift of the Savior.  According to the Old Testament, the answer for a natural child who no longer obeyed the law of his natural father was being removed from the camp of Israel and stoned to death.  It protected the name of the father and the rest of the nation (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

In Christ it is different.  This life you are living now is your time to ‘get it right before God.’  God will not receive you into the camp if you fail to accept his gift of salvation through Christ HERE AND NOW in this life.  We know we have salvation because we love the savior and we know we love Him because we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS (John 14:15-15:10).  We know we will go to Hell because we do not even try to keep His commandments.  Grace covers weaknesses, not your deliberate disobedience and sin.

Israeli Grace

Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Know ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

These eleven verses deserve far more time and response than I will give them right now.  My intention at THIS time is simply to show that God has not given the place of the Jews to Christians.  A change has taken place which not only affects the Jewish world but the whole earth.  That most Jews have not accepted this change does not make it untrue.  Nevertheless, it still means something special in the world today to be born a Jew, a natural descendant of Abraham and it STILL means something to God Himself. 

What we see in verses 5 and 6 however is that instead of the old way of sacrificing animals to cover their sins, the Jewish people must accept the ultimate sacrifice of their Messiah and King, the Lord Jesus Christ.  God has been moving in the open hearts of Jewish Rabbi’s and many have been able to understand through scripture that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.  Having said that, it is clear through scripture that most will not realize this truth until the great Tribulation comes.  It will make everything so clear that even the most doubtful will have their doubts removed.

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Why would God do such a thing if He had not intended for Christians to replace the Jews?  It’s simple.  Even though God has a special place in His heart for the Hebrew people, He has a desire for all mankind to be saved (John 3:16).  God did not step into an already made creation and choose one people.  He created ALL people and loves ALL people.  The fact that we choose to be disobedient is a testimony to His unwillingness to own slaves.  He desires loving gracious families.  One of the most important groups to reach are orphans.  God has a special place in His heart for the fatherless and widows.

When He created Adam and Eve with free will God knew we would fail Him.  He even allowed Satan to whisper lies.  Why would He do such a thing?  Because you cannot choose where there is no choice.  If you think God should abandon the Jews because they have failed to follow the Torah as it led them to Jesus then you probably believe He should abandon the rest of mankind as they LIE to prove God does not exist.

One sad effect that religion has had on science is to force science to sneak behind religion’s back to operate.  This gave scientists a natural inclination to disbelieve religion which tended to poison many of the theories scientists came up with.  In many scientific disciplines it has ceased to be the driving force to find the truth but rather to prove the theories.  Science has become its own religion to prove its own beliefs.  The theory of Evolution has replace the belief in creation and a creator as the law of the land in America even though NONE of the so-called missing links of mankind’s supposed journey from single celled creature to human being have ever been proved.

Every creature from Cro-Magnon man to Peking man have been shown to be fakes yet the scientists who put forward those theories refuse to admit the truth to the general public lest they appear to be liars and their theories false.  There has never been a single biblical truth that has been proved false when science grew up to the level required to prove or disprove the Bible’s claim; not one.  In spite of this growing body of scientific evidence that the Bible is accurate and its claims true, we choose a lie rather than an uncomfortable truth.

Israel’s sin is a failure to accurately understand and apply God’s Law to Jesus when He presented Himself riding on a young donkey at the gates of Jerusalem.  OUR failure as gentiles is to say this amazing and unique creation we call the universe is all a great cosmic accident.  We say, “In the beginning there was nothing…and it exploded.”  How dare we condemn the Jews to oblivion when we ourselves have tried to arrange that fate for God Himself.

Romans 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

God’s decision on that fateful day when Jesus presented Himself to throngs of people only to have the Jewish leadership spit on His face and crucify Him may seem excessive to our short sighted human lives, but to God it was quite merciful.  They denied the Captain of the Lord’s Host, the Messiah and King of kings.  They have suffered for more than 2000 years because of that sin.  God’s grace will soon bring them back into the fold by removing the scales from their eyes and revealing His Son to them; but never forget, He locked them out to make a way for you…the wild olive branch.

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

The first ‘fall’ is piptpipto which means to fall from a higher position to a lower one.  Paul is saying, “They have NOT fallen to a lower POSITION.”  The second ‘fall’ is paraptoma which means to unwittingly transgress or deliberately sin.  This is a good word because it means that some Jews like the most senior leaders willingly transgressed the law to end something they saw as a problem while others, specifically the common people, sinned against God ignorantly. 

The entire purpose was to reach out to the whole earth when His chosen messengers refused the honor and become isolationists.  Our continued honor from God is supposed to provoke the Jews to a jealous path back to God.  Quite often God has used different ways to lead us to holiness and forgiveness.  I know God is never shocked or amazed by our actions, but we should find it shocking how often we as a race fail to humble ourselves to the one who wields the rod of correction.  We gentiles are certainly no more willing to be corrected than the Jews were.

Bishop J