Reflections

“But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Do you remember the first time you got saved? Do you remember the passion you had for the things of Jesus Christ? We were so eager to go to church and to read the Bible. The day after I got saved I went to see Myles Monroe and he spoke for four hours at a conference. I had never sat through any kind of sermon or lecture for that long. I took every word in, never growing weary but was engaged the entire time. It was a life changing message. Every question I had about God was answered, my doubts were washed away, I knew in my heart that Jesus was my savior, the way and the truth. I listened to other sermons on tape. I read the bible. I returned to college with a desire to fellowship with other Christians and know more about Jesus.

It is so easy to get caught up in our works, the labor of the church. We can spend years of our lives giving to the church, walking in our belief and yet grow to despite and resent the burden of Christianity. Today we see many prominent Christians leaving the church. Some have even said they have left the faith all together. They have been pastors, ministers of the gospel, worship leaders, and other disillusioned Christians. Many Christians have been so hurt by the church from it toxicity to its hypocrisy. So people leave and they question what they really believe.

If this is you or you feel that the love you once had for the church has waned, Jesus has a message for you. Return to the love your first had. Do the works you did at first. Reading your bible, praying, fellowshipping with the saints. Then the love and passion you had will return. Do not wait for the feeling to come back first and then you do the work. Jesus says repent – remember where you have fallen, we were once lost and now we are saved. We have to change our hearts and minds that are full of the bitterness from the weariness of our work that lacked faith, our labor that no longer was rooted in love and our endurance that lacked hope.

Do not allow Jesus to just be another story of another religion and you equate him simply as a prophet or some teacher to imitate. Do you remember when you first loved Jesus? What did you do for Him? Go back and do those works again and the love will follow.

“But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.” Galatians 5:15 HCSB

Our society has devolved into us vs them mentality.  People are more dogmatic in their beliefs and refuse to find common ground.  We no longer look to compromise or simply agree to disagree.

Years ago I had a relationship with a co-worker that was very friendly.  I was a new Christian and she was a Jehovah Witness.  We would fiercely debate our beliefs.  She was a much better debater than I was.  However, though we disagreed I really valued our relationship.  We were able to put our differences aside and still find common ground to eat lunch together and get through our work day together.  When I look back at that time I have fond memories of my co-worker.  She challenged my faith and as a result I sought God all the more and desired a deeper relationship.

Today it is so difficult to be on the opposite sides of so many issues.  We have become so dogmatic and even tribal in our beliefs on things like race, religion, politics, etc.  We are so quick to judge and condemn.  We leave no room in finding common ground or a way to forge friendships.  Instead we have drawn the battle lines and all that is happening is the destruction of relationships.  We rather carry our offenses and condemn others.  We refuse to reach across the line and extend love and friendship to others that have differences.

The Bible warns us against strife, envy, quarrels and the danger of our tongues. We are called to love our neighbors as ourself. The mark of Jesus’ true disciple is the love that we have for one another.

“There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.”

1 John4:18HCSB

It is a brand New Year. Resolve this year not to be driven by fear.  So much of what is happening in the world today is based on fear.  The media uses fear to get us to react to the news.  Governments use fear to control its citizens.  Many use fear as a tactic to gain power.  God does not give us a spirit of fear.  Fear comes from Satan.

The antidote to fear is love.  God’s perfect love drives out fear.  Often times where fear is being used, hatred is at its root.  For example, we see how ugly politics are getting.  Many politicians are using fear to justify their hatred toward a group of people.  When people are afraid often times their speech will be full of hate.

This is why we must show love.  When we show love we are driving out the spirit of fear.  This is why the Bible tells us to love our enemies.  Hatred is driven by fear but perfect love casts out fear.

We do not have to be afraid because God loves us. Be guided by God’s love in this new year. Extend that love to others. Our world would be so much different if we demonstrated God’s love toward others.

“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV

Happy New Year! 2022 is now here and 2021 is in the past. This time of year people are making new year resolutions. Gyms will be packed this month with people promising to get in shape and lose the weight gained during the holiday season. Self cleansing recipes will be popular as people are desiring to free their bodies of all the impurities and junk they ate over the holidays.

Instead of just focusing on our outward appearance we should also focus on our spiritual lives.  The Apostle Paul is admonishing us to put off our old self that only desires what the flesh wants.  Instead we need to put on our new bodies created in Christ Jesus and renew our minds.  We are to walk in true righteousness and holiness.  Let us commit in 2022 not to allow sin to ensnare us but to be led by the Holy Spirit.

A perfect looking body means nothing if our soul is corrupted by deceitful lusts. Allow the light of Jesus to shine from within for others to see.

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”Matthew24:11NKJV

““Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” Matthew24:23-25NKJV

When I was in college I had two professors that gave True and False quizzes. They instructed us that if the statement was false we had to identify the false statement and give the true statement. This made the test much more difficult because we actually had to know the material in order to not only identify the true statements but explain why the false statements were not true. This is the same with God’s word. If we are going to be able to identify the false we must know what is true and we must study God’s word.

Jesus is warning the disciples in Matthew that in the last days there will be false christs and false prophets.  They will be able to show great signs and wonders and deceive many.  Their acts will be so believable that if God does not cut short these days even the elect could be deceived.These false christs and false prophets will come from the church.  They will be people who were once in the light and knew the truth but departed from the way and fall into darkness.  We will not be able to distinguish them by their signs but Jesus told us we would know them by their fruit.

It is so important for us to know and understand the word of God.  So many today are consumed with signs and wonders.  False teachers will be able to perform great signs and wonders but their lifestyle will be full of unrighteousness.  We also cannot entertain false teachings.  A little of bit of error is not acceptable.  Satan will deceive us by twisting the word of God.  Most false teaching is about 90% true.  We will not be able to discern the truth if we are not in the word of God. 

Another major sign of false christs and false prophets is the anti-christ spirit they will have.  Their hearts will be full of hate, their conscience will be seared and the truth will not be in them.  The Bible describes these individuals.  So please do not be fooled by their acts.

Jesus rebuked the Jews because they wanted signs. They ignored Jesus’ teachings and His word. They said they would only believe if they were shown a sign but even the signs Jesus performed they still denied Him. We must pursue the truth of God’s word. We must grow in the knowledge of Jesus. This is how we guard ourselves against deception and many that will come in Jesus’ name claiming they are the “Christ.” Be alert. Be on guard. Stay sober and meditate on God’s word day and night.

“And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”

Matthew24:4-5NKJV

There has been great debate about the end times. From a historical perspective the end times have been predicted multiple times but has yet to come to pass. There are many that are looking for the antichrist or the mark of the beast. Most would agree we are living in the last days because of the signs Jesus speaks about in Matthew 24.

The disciples asked Jesus to tell them the sign of His coming and the end of the age.  Jesus responds first by telling them not to be deceived.  After that statement Jesus said that many will come deceiving people.  When we look at the text closely the word deceive here refers to “cause to wander”.  In essence Jesus was warning the disciples not to wander from the truth – Jesus’ word.

When we look at the world today we see a lot of deception.  We know that there are false prophets, false teachers and people claiming to be Jesus.  However, Jesus’ warning was in the time of deception we cannot wander from Him – the truth.

Many may think deception is simply having the “wool pulled over our eyes”, but Jesus warns that people will actually be led astray from Him.  This is one of the major signs we will see in the last days – people falling away from Jesus.

It is important that we guard against all deception that would cause us to wander from the truth of Jesus Christ.  We must know that Jesus is the word made into flesh, so the words of Jesus are the truth that we live by.  We must guard our hearts in Jesus’ word and keep our minds stayed on Him.

Deception is only going to increase in the last days. Jesus goes on to tell the disciples what will happen. There are also other scriptures that warn us about various types of deceptions that we must guard against. Keep in mind the warning of Jesus in that no matter what deception is cast before you do not wander from the truth. The truth is what will protect us in these last days and help us to endure. Heed Jesus’ warning – Do not be deceived!

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.””

Deuteronomy30:19-20NKJV

I am not here to refute any specific prophetic words about what is happening in our country, but want to give context to prophetic words spoken from a biblical perspective.

There are many of us that have received or heard prophetic words over our lives.  This is true of many in the Bible, that their lives were spoken about prophetically.  We know that God is sovereign and His word will not return to Him void.  However, most of God’s word and promises are conditional.  The only prophesy that has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled despite man or Satan is the prophesies of Jesus.  Other prophetic words about our own lives is contingent on our faith, actions, and obedience to God’s word.  We can nullify God’s promises and even His prophetic declarations over our lives.

There are some prophetic words that we will have to wait and see if they come to pass.  For example, there are some prophesying that Trump will be President for the next four years and until January 20, 2021, we will not know for sure if these words were true or not, when the inauguration takes place.

If these prophetic words are proven to not come to pass, it does not mean that these were false prophets.  Prophets know in part and prophesy in part.  We are ultimately responsible for any prophetic word spoken over our lives by obeying God.  Disobedience will nullify these words.

In Deuteronomy, God tells the children of Israel they have a choice to make – life or death.  When we receive a prophetic word we still must make a choice.  In Deuteronomy 28 God clearly explains what will happen if we obey Him (blessings) and what will happen if we disobey Him (curses).  So if you receive a prophetic word choose life and obey God so that word will bear fruit.  If you disobey God you will nullify that word and it will not bear fruit.

We have several examples in the Bible.  Samson was chosen by God to judge the Israelites, but when Samson allowed his hair to be cut, the Lord departed from him.  Eli was chosen as a prophet but his sons lived wickedly, so God chose another.  King Saul was chosen and it was promised his family would reign, but King Saul disobeyed God, and God rejected Saul as King.  King Solomon was told to obey God but he failed and Israel was divided.  There are others who were chosen by God but did not experience the promises of God because of their disobedience.

It would be easy to label these men and women as false prophets but the word is given as seed form and we have to cultivate it.  If we give a prophetic word to others let us encourage them to obey God and move in faith.  We should also bring correction to them and remind them of the word spoken over their lives.  Ultimately it is our choice to work out these words in our lives and experience the fruit of God’s promises.

Finally, if we are going to publicly declare a prophetic word from God let us make sure it aligns with the testimony about Jesus. The world desperately needs to hear the prophesies of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

John 5:39-40 NASB

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Romans1:21NASB

I gave my life to Jesus Christ over 27 years ago.  I thought I knew everything I needed to learn about Jesus years ago.  Unfortunately, about two years ago I felt burnt out as a pastor and felt my faith waning.  I still believed in Jesus but my passion and fire for Him had waned.  I then set on a journey to get to know Jesus more intimately and not for the purpose of new material for sermons or writing, but for the sake of my own soul.

There is a spirit of familiarity with Jesus that plagues the body of Christ.  We have taken the idea of dominion authority and used it to further our own agendas and have neglected our reverence and love for Jesus.  We have been captured by the things of this world and have not grown in our knowledge or teachings of the gospel and Jesus Christ.  We are satisfied with a simple gospel track to hand out to others but not to live in reverence and in awe of our Savior.

As a result we have witnessed men and women who claimed to know Jesus, walk away from the church and the faith.  They feel that the requirements of Christianity are too constricting and have sought to find their own spiritual awakenings.  The truth is they do not fear Jesus.  We don’t fear Jesus.  We know He exists but we neither honor Him nor give thanks to Him.  Instead we complain and go after our “enemies”.  Lying to them and ourselves that Jesus functions as our Lord when in reality we have elevated ourselves above Him.

Many would say that they believe in Jesus and they acknowledge Him as the One and Only God.  However, it is our actions, our speech and our fruit that bears witness to how we view Jesus in our lives.  Jesus stated that if we love Him we would obey His commandments.  We don’t.

We search the scriptures to justify our own beliefs and to prove that we are right and others are wrong.  We glorify ourselves and demonize those that disagree with us.  We no longer testify about Jesus but about ourselves and the world we want created.

We no longer judge ourselves by Jesus’ demonstration or life.  We justify our actions and sins by quoting a prayer we said years ago.  We do not exemplify the life of Jesus.  We act as if Jesus simply lived, died and rose again so we could live how we saw fit to live in this life.

I realize in my journey in cultivating my relationship with Jesus, that we really have stopped teaching about Jesus.  He is no longer the center of our teaching and many just don’t know who He really is.  I have discovered so much about Jesus that we no longer discuss or demonstrate.  We have spent so much time making ourselves powerful.  We have designed our own truth.

As a church we need to refocus on Jesus. We need to return to the fullness of Jesus and begin to grow and mature in the knowledge of Him. We need to let go of self and make Jesus the center of our faith once again. We must stop chasing men and women to be our saviors. Ministries need to be built around Jesus Christ and not charismatic people. Jesus is our rock, the Head of the church. Let us go on a journey together to discover Jesus and testify about Him to a lost and dying world. Let us learn to Abide in Christ.