Monday, December 17, 2007

Christmas in Mark

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)
If we think of Christmas only as the nativity scene, then Mark has nothing to offer us concerning it — no star, no shepherds, no wise men, not even Joseph and Mary, or the infant in a manger. But if we think of Christmas as the coming of Christ into the world, then Mark has something very important to tell us.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has a beginning, and Mark locates that beginning in John the Baptist, and the prophecy that lays out his mission:
As it is written in the Prophets [Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3]:

“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”
(Mark 1:2-3)
Literally, the language alludes to road-building, the preparation of highways. The custom in those days was for kings to send people ahead to make level and passable the roads on which they would soon be traveling. Metaphorically, it is about preparing the hearts of the people to receive the King. This is what Mark is talking about. The role of John the Baptist was to prepare the hearts of the people to receive the Messiah.
John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:4-8)
Preparing the way for the Coming King, John preached a baptism of repentance. The Greek word “repentance” literally refers to a change of mind, how one thinks about something. It was a preparation of their hearts: First, concerning sin, that it did not belong in their lives; second, concerning how they could be delivered from it and find forgiveness — they would not be able to deal with it themselves. Many came confessing their sins, agreeing with God that they had been wrong to do such things, and also looking to Him to do something about their shortcomings. They were baptized, their bodies cleansed, their hearts bathed in this new message John was bringing:
There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
John’s baptism pointed them to Jesus the Messiah, and prepared their hearts, by repentance, to receive Him. But Jesus would come and wash over them with the life-changing reality of the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark.

This is the season of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas when we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of our King, even as we watch for His return. It is a season of repentance, to let go of the expectations we have set upon ourselves, that we may more fully anticipate Him. Even now, He will bathe us with His Spirit and change the world.



Let Earth Receive Her King
Let Earth Receive Her King
Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom of God
by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Agreement in Jesus’ Name is a Threefold Cord

Someone asked if it is necessary to get in agreement with another in order for our faith confession of the Word to come to pass.


If we have faith in the Word of God, even if nobody else is believing it with us, it is still more than enough to get the job done, because the promises of God are sure. The thing about coming into agreement with others concerning matters we are believing God for is that it is a very great encouragement to our faith; we know that we are not alone in it, but there is someone else who is standing in faith with us. It helps us stay focused and not give up. It also helps us to check our heart so that we are not believing with the wrong motive, or for something that does not belong to us. And when the thing we are believing God for comes to pass, we know there is someone with whom we can rejoice. So getting into agreement with another is a very powerful thing. God honors it.

Think about Leviticus 26:8, where God says of those who obey and honor Him that five shall chase a hundred (1:20 ratio), and that one hundred shall put ten thousand to flight (1:100 ratio). When there is agreement, the increase in effectiveness increases exponentially. That is, it doesn't just add up — it multiplies!

Or consider what the Preacher said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:
Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together,
they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another,
two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Or remember how David described the blessing of unity, which is essentially about coming into agreement:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing —
Life forevermore.
(Palm 133)
And of course, wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus' name, He is there in the midst — it is an open heaven. When we are in agreement with Jesus and with each other about anything on earth, we have a direct line to our Father in heaven, and it will be done for us. Guaranteed.

Sometimes the only one we have we can agree with is Jesus, and that is powerful enough. But it is even better when we have someone else and it becomes a threefold cord.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit

Our new book, Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church is now here!

God Has Always Done Miracles
in His Church—and Still Does!


The Holy Spirit has never left the Church and neither have His supernatural gifts and manifestations. They have been available in every century—from the days of the Apostolic Fathers, to the desert monks of Egypt and Syria, to the missionary outreaches of the Middle Ages, to the Reformation era and the awakenings and revivals that followed, to the Pentecostal explosion of the Twentieth Century and the increase of signs and wonders in the Twenty-first.

Miracles, healings, deliverances, prophecies, dreams, visions—even raising the dead!—have all been in operation throughout the history of the Church. Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Methodists, Moravians, Presbyterians, Quakers and many others have experienced the supernatural gifts and workings of the Spirit over the centuries.

Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church, by Jeff Doles, gathers up numerous accounts from a variety of historical sources and provides a handy reference for those who want to know more about:
  • How the Church has understood and operated in the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit at various times in history.
  • Why the gifts and miracles were more frequently in manifestation in some eras than in others.
  • The many ways the Church has ministered in healing and deliverance.
  • How the Holy Spirit manifested in great revivals.
  • How the river of gifts and miracles continues to flow today.
Available at our website, at Amazon, and in eBook at Lulu.com.

You can preview it in PDF here.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The Kingdom in Jesus’ Name

I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:18-20)
Jesus is the connection between heaven and earth. Though He is now seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, whenever even only two or three come together on earth in His name, He is present with us. This has everything to do with the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It is, in fact, the reason given for these two statements:
  • “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” To bind is to forbid; to loose is to permit. The grammatical tense concerning what is bound or loosed in heaven is that they will already have been bound or loosed in heaven. That is, whatever we bind on earth will already have been bound in heaven, and whatever we set loose on earth will already have been set loose in heaven.
  • “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.” This second statement is to be taken together with the first statement, about binding and loosing, for it is about manifesting on earth whatever is happening in heaven. Whenever we come into agreement with each other about these things on earth, our Father will bring them about on earth just as they are in heaven.
The particular context of these sayings has to do with resolving disputes among believers, but their meaning and application are not limited to that. They are true in particular because they are true in general, for they are in agreement with the general prayer model which Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom, come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus authorizes to bring forth the will of God on earth just as it is being done in heaven. Not just in certain narrowly defined situations, but in everything that has to do with the heart of our Father in heaven, outside of which there is nothing good.

The authority for these things is the name of Jesus. It is only by coming together in His name that we are able to walk in these things. To come together in His name means that we are all about Him and His purposes, to ask and act on His behalf and in the way He would ask and act. It does no good if we are in agreement with each other but not with Him. It is only as we ask and act in agreement with Him that we are enabled to manifest the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

The kingdom of Heaven on Earth is revealed when we come together in the authority of Jesus’ name.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Friday, December 7, 2007

The Kingdom of Little Ones

Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. (Matthew 18:5)
The disciples argued over who would be greatest in the kingdom. Jesus answered that only those who humbled themselves as a little child would even enter the kingdom, but they would also be the greatest.

This changes everything. No longer are we to live our lives seeking personal power and pride of position. We come to God confessing, “I cannot do for myself; You must do for me.” It is coming before Him with the meekness and powerlessness of a child. Only these qualify as the great ones who are worthy of the kingdom. To welcome and honor them in Jesus’ name is to welcome and honor Jesus Himself.

So great are these in the eyes of Jesus, He gives stern warnings to those who would treat them in any lesser way.
  • But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)
  • Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:10)
Everyone who comes depending on God belongs to the kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and is to be highly esteemed. Even those whom the world considers the least are among the great ones in God’s eyes. Those who despise, hinder or trip them up in any way will face stern judgment and the angels of God.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The Greatest in the Kingdom

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.” (Matthew 18:1-5)
The disciples were arguing among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It was not a discussion about greatness as a matter of character to be emulated but about position to be coveted. So they came and asked Jesus.

Jesus turned the question on its head. He set a little children before them. Little children had not status in that society; their opinions were not solicited and no one sought out their favor. They could not do anything for others; indeed, they were fully dependent on the goodness of others to meet their most basic needs, to care for them in every way.

That is how we come into the kingdom, by being fully dependent upon God. It requires a total reorientation, a conversion, a turning from faith in ourselves to faith in God. We must become like little children. Without that, we have no place in the kingdom. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Unless one is born of again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

On the other hand, whoever humbles himself to become fully dependent upon God, is the greatest in the kingdom. What is more, whoever receives and honors such a one in Jesus’ name, receives and honors the Lord Jesus as well. The disciples thought greatness was about pride of position, but it turns out that it is about the humbleness of faith.

The greatest in the kingdom of Heaven on Earth are those who trust God completely, in all things.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.

Monday, December 3, 2007

The Son of Man Coming in His Kingdom

Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Matthew 16:28)
Mark 9:1 has “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Luke 9:27 says, “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” In all three Gospels, the next event that follows is the Transfiguration. Clearly, the evangelists view it as a fulfillment of Jesus’ words. Peter, James and John were the ones privileged to go with Jesus upon that mount and see Him present in His kingdom, and His kingdom present in power.
And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:2-5)
Moses and Elijah appeared with the Lord Jesus there. The revelation of the Old Testament had ended with the admonition to remember the law of Moses, and the promise that God would send Elijah before the great “day of the Lord” would arrive. Now Moses and Elijah had come upon the scene — and here was Jesus shining with the glory of heaven!

The disciples were stunned. Mark notes that Peter did not know what to say (Mark 9:6), but that did not keep him from saying it. “Let’s make three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He royally missed the point. This was not about Moses and Elijah, but about Jesus alone. He was the fulfillment of what the Law-giver and the Prophet stood for, and when the fulfillment has come, the type is no longer needed. That is why the voice of the Father came from heaven and answered, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

It is all about Jesus — His kingdom, His power, His glory. His disciples saw it and experienced it for themselves, and it would not be their last time. The other disciples would also see further manifestations of Jesus in His kingdom.
  • At the Resurrection, when Jesus was raised by the glory of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • At the Ascension, forty days later, when Jesus returned to heaven and took His throne at the right hand of the Father, where He now rules and reigns forever as King over all. Before He ascended, He announced that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him, and then commissioned His disciples to proclaim it in all the world.
  • At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they received the very power by which the kingdom operates, to manifest that Jesus is King. The book of Acts is a chronicle of the kingdom, power and glory of Jesus being put on display. Indeed, the history of the Church is full of such things.
  • At the Second Coming, when the King returns and the fullness of His kingdom is made known, and heaven and earth become one. Then every eye shall behold Him, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
Do you see Jesus coming in His kingdom — the kingdom of Heaven on Earth? If is the fulfillment of all God promised in the Law and the Prophets, and it has already begun.



The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Keys to the Kingdom of God
in the Gospel of Matthew

by Jeff Doles

Preview with Amazon’s “Look Inside.”

Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.