Forgiving and Being Forgiven

Someone wrote to ask “Does your church believe in the literal interpretation of what Jesus taught in Gospels that people need to repent before forgiveness is given and woe comes to those who cause offenses?” He then cited Luke 17:1-4; Luke 18:1-8 and Matthew 5:21-26. Here is my response:

Jesus came preaching, "Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand." We believe, therefore, that people need to repent and believe. The Greek word for "repent" means to have a change of mind, to think differently. We need to change our thinking about a lot of things—sin, our self-dependence, living like the kingdom of God is not here — and start thinking in line with what God says. In other words, we repent (change our mind) in order to believe God.

A word often related to repentance is the word "confess." For example, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). The Greek word for "confess" is homologeo (from homo = “same” and logos = “word”). Literally, it means to "say the same thing." That is, when we confess our sins, we are saying of them the same thing God says of them, recognizing that they do not belong in our lives. It is a result of repentance.

Before repentance, we were thinking contrary to God and denying that our sin created a barrier between us. After repentance, we are thinking with God and saying the same thing about our sin that He said. We are acknowledging the problem so that we may then embrace the solution — forgiveness and cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Does woe come to those who cause offenses? Certainly. It is a matter of sowing and reaping. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Sow good, reap good. Sow evil, reap evil. Sow offense or woe, reap offense or woe. Woe will come naturally because of what is sown, and it will come unless the harvest is somehow prevented. We believe that repentance and receiving forgiveness is a way that such a harvest can be avoided, mitigated or ameliorated.

In regard to forgiving others, Jesus said, if a brother sins against us, but then repents — forgive him — even if he sins seven times in a day and repents seven times (Luke 17:3-4).

About the role of the offender, Jesus said this: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-34).

Jesus also spoke about forgiving in Mark 11:25-26, immediately after talking about mountain-moving faith and receiving the answer to our prayers: "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses."

We don't have to wait for the offender to come and repent or apologize to us before we forgive. In Mark 11:25, Jesus does not even bring up their repentance. He simply tells us to forgive. The other person may never apologize to us — shall we then carry forever the burden of what they did to us, because they refuse to repent?

No, forgive anyway, and be set free from the hurt they caused, be healed from the wound, and let God deal with them. Then our faith and our prayers will be unhindered. But if we do not forgive, we will not be walking in the experience of the forgiveness our Father extends to us.

Our job is not to call down woes on people, but to forgive them — for our own sake as well as theirs. We pray for them that God, in His goodness, would lead them into true repentance so that they might experience the fullness of His blessing.

See also :

• Faith Requires Forgiveness
• Faith and Forgiveness
• Don't Let the devil Outsmart You

A Monk’s Tale of Forgiveness

Two monks set out on a long and perilous journey to a holy site. Wanting to arrive pure in spirit, they vowed not to speak or enjoy any feminine company. As they came to a large muddy hole in the road, there stood a lovely young woman dressed in finery. She was hesitant to cross for fear of ruining her clothes.

One of the monks, recognizing her concern, picked her up and gently carried her across. Then the monks continued their journey. The next day, when they arrived at the shrine, the other monk scolded his friend for breaking his vows of silence and self-control.

“What?” said the first monk, “I released the burden of that young lady immediately after we crossed over yesterday. But why are you still carrying her?”

In forgiveness, we release all the burden of care of those things which have wounded or offended us.

Mightiest of the Mighty

“Faith is mightiest of the mighty. It is the monarch of the realms of the mind; there is no being superior to its strength, no creature which will not bow to its divine prowess. The want of faith makes a man despicable, it shrivels him up so small that he might live in a nutshell. Give him faith, and he is a leviathan that can dive into the depths of the sea; he is a war horse, that cries, aha! aha! in the battle; he is a giant who takes nations and crumbles them in his hand, who encounters hosts, and at a sword they vanish; he binds up sheaves of scepters, and gathers up all the crowns at his own. There is nothing like faith, sirs. Faith makes you almost as omnipotent as God, by the borrowed might of its divinity. Give us faith and we can do all things.”

~ Charles H. Spurgeon, The Victory of Faith

Have faith in God.

~ Jesus (Mark 11:22)

El Gamar Ali, God Who Does For Me

I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.

(Psalm 57:2)

The words “all things” is italicized in the NJKV, indicating that they are not in the original but have been added by the translators as an aid to understanding. So we have: “God who performs for me.” Other versions have:

• “God who does all things for me.” (Bible in Basic English)
• “God who holds me together.” (The Message)
• “God who is perfecting for me.” (Young’s Literal Translation)
• “God who will fulfill His purpose for me.” (New Living Translation)
• “God who accomplishes all things for me.” (NASB)

The Hebrew is El Gamar Ali.

The word gamar means to bring to completion, to accomplish, to perfect, to perform. That is what God does for us. He perfects in us, accomplishes in us, brings to completion in us, performs in us. It is found again, and in that sense, in Psalm 138:8:

The LORD will perfect [gamar] that which concerns me.

The Septuagint (early Greek translation of the Old Testament, signified by LXX), translates the Hebrew gamar with a form of the Greek verb euergeteo, which means to do good, to bestow benefits, to be a benefactor. It is the verb used in Acts 10:38, describing the ministry of Jesus, “who went about doing good.”

He is El Gamar Ali, God Who Does for Me.

In the South, when someone takes care of us, we say that he or she “does for us.” That is how God is for us. He takes care of us in every way, as in Psalm 23. He is also the great benefactor, as in Psalm 103: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” (See Six Things the Devil Wants You to Forget.)

Some people think they can make it on their own. They are not thankful for what they have. They think they provided it for themselves, went to work and earned it for on their own. As if they caused themselves to live and move and breathe and have the ability to do anything of themselves.

No, it is God who does for us, and not we ourselves. All the praise, honor and glory belongs to Him.

I’ve given up trying to do for myself—I always came up short. But God does all things well. From now on, I’m calling on El Gamar Ali, God Who Does for Me. What a wonderful name!

Receive Your Healing

By “receive,” I don’t mean that you simply sit back and wait for somebody to hand it to you or wait for it to land in your lap. I mean that you welcome it, embrace it, lay hold of it, lay claim to it, appropriate it. I’m talking about an active receptivity, not a passive “wait and see.” We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Many people want to have the manifestation of healing first, and then they will go ahead and receive. But that is backwards. First we receive, then comes the manifestation.

Remember the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48). She was very receptive toward her healing. As she pursued Jesus through the crowd, she kept saying to herself, “If I can just touch the hem of His garment, I’ll be healed.” She was not waiting for the manifestation of her healing to come before she believed it. She received it by faith while she was waiting for the manifestation. The result is that, when she finally laid hands on the hem of Jesus’ robe, healing power went out from Him into her body and her healing manifested.

In another place, Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). Notice the difference in tense between “receive” and “will have.” Receiving in present tense (actually, the NASB says, “believe you have received” — past tense). The having is future tense.

Notice what the woman with the issue of blood did. She believed she received her healing when she prayed (went to the Lord) for her healing. Jesus commended her for her faith: “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well” (Luke 8:48).

Jesus has already done everything that is necessary for you to have your healing. Isaiah tells us that Messiah (the Christ) came to bear your sicknesses as well as your sins. All you have to do is receive it. Receive your healing in Jesus’ name. Then watch for the manifestation.

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Healing Scriptures and Prayers
by Jeff Doles

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

God of the Overflow

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want … My cup runs over!

(Psalm 23:1, 5)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(Psalm 37:4)

Praise the LORD …
Who satisfies your desires with good things
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(Psalm 103:1, 5)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

• He is the God of abundance.
• He is the God of enough, and more than enough.
• He is the God who supplies all your needs
• He is the God who satisfies all your desires with good things.
• He is the God who exceeds all you can ask or think.
• He is the God of the overflow.

He is God and He is good. Believe Him for everything that is in your heart and life, and He will exceed your wildest expectation.

Live In Such a Way

“Live in such a way that your heavenly Father may be proud of you, as he is proud of so many others chosen souls. Live in such a way that you may be able to repeat at every moment with the apostle St. Paul: Be imitators of me, as I am of Jesus Christ. Oh, for pity’s sake, do not consider this an exaggeration! Every Christian who is a true imitator and follower of the Nazarene can and must call himself a second Christ and show forth most clearly in his life the entire image of Christ. Oh, if only all Christians were to live up to their vocation, this very land of exile would be changed into a paradise.” ~ Padre Pio, quoted in Mystics and Miracles: True Stories of Lives Touched By God, by Bert Ghezzi.

Put Together and Held Together By the Word of God

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17)

In Hebrews we discover that all things were framed, or put together, by the Word of God. It is the substance, the underlying reality of everything.

In the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus IS the Word of God. That is, the Word is all about Him and is in perfect unity with Him. Though God has spoken to many people, there are not many words, only one. There may be many facets to it, but there is only one Word, and Jesus is the perfect embodiment of that Word.

In Colossians, Paul tells us that not only were all things created by Jesus Christ, they were also created through Him (for He is the Living Word) and for Him, and in Him all things consist. That is, all things are held together and sustained in Him.

All the world is put together and held together by Jesus, the Living Word of God. Therefore, the world must always respond to Him and His authority. It exists expressly by the Word of God, takes its direction from the Word and must always be responsive to it. God declares that His Word will not return void but will always be fulfilled (Isaiah 55:10-11).

• By the authority of that Word, Moses commanded the Red Sea to part (Exodus 14:15-16, 21).
• By the authority of that Word, Joshua commanded the Sun to stand still in the sky (Joshua 10:12-14).
• By the authority of that Word, Elijah commanded the rain to cease (1 Kings 17:1) and for the drought to end three and a half years later (1 Kings 18:41-45).
• By the authority of that Word, Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, and they obeyed (Mark 4:37-39).
• By the authority of that Word, Jesus spoke to the fig tree so that it withered away (Mark 11:12-14, 20-21).
• Jesus taught the disciples that when they use the authority of that Word to speak to mountains, not doubting but believing in their heart that what they said would be done, those mountains would move (Mark 11:22-23).
  

Paul tells us that all creation groans together waiting, eagerly waiting for the sons of God to be revealed (Romans 8:19), that is, for those who will obey Jesus and rise up to speak the Word of God to all the earth. It is eagerly waiting to respond to the Word of God spoken in faith.

All the world is put together and held together by the Word of God, and it will always respond to the Word of God spoken in faith. All creation is eagerly waiting for you to speak that Word in faith. Mountains will move and the world will change.

Walking in True Freedom

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:1, 13)

Reflecting on these Scriptures, these two reciprocal truths strike me: First, it is impossible for you to walk in true freedom and not change the world in a very positive way. Second, it is impossible to change the world in a very positive without walking in true freedom.

According to Paul, in this letter to the church at Galatia, true freedom is about loving, giving and serving. It is therefore an expression of the love of God, for God is love, and it is the nature of love to give and serve.

In the beginning, we were created in the image of God, both to bear His image and to be His image on the earth. Adam and Eve were given the charge to be fruitful and multiply. Multiply what? The image of God.

God’s plan has always been to fill the earth with His image — and with His love. That is why, when Adam disconnected from God in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan for restoration. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

Since we were created to be the image of God on the earth, it follows that we were made to show the love of God on the earth. That is the liberty by which Christ has made us free — to love, give and serve — in a word, to be like God. This is the essence of godliness.

The spirit of religion says that we will be like God if we live by rules and regulations — the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In fact, that is what satan promised Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:5). That way always ends in death, not life; in bondage, not freedom.

The Spirit of God leads us to the Tree of Life, living, not by rules, but by intimate relationship with Him. That is the true freedom Jesus talked about:

If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:31-32; 36)

Knowing the truth is not about the mind, but about the heart. The Greek word for “know” does not refer merely to head knowledge, but to an experiential knowledge, an intimate relationship with truth. Truth is personal — that is, it is found in a person. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” It is in knowing Jesus, entering into a personal relationship with Him, that we become truly free.

The essence of true freedom is in loving, giving and serving — without obligation or compulsion. It is the pathway of God, who is the most free being in the universe. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to God and set at liberty to walk that path in intimate fellowship with Him.

Being Remarkable

Been thinking about what it means to be remarkable. This was spurred on by a couple of books by Seth Godin: The Purple Cow: Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable, and The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable.

It has occurred to me that being remarkable is what holiness is about (see Being Holy). To be holy means to be set apart. In the context of Scripture, it means to be set apart for God’s special purposes. The Bible teaches us that God is holy. That means that He is uniquely and completely set apart. There is nothing else in the universe like Him. He is infinite in all His attributes. He is altogether remarkable.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name.” To hallowed means to be recognized as holy. The Message Bible translates this as “Reveal who You are” (see Father, Reveal Who You Are). If holiness is remarkableness, then we can say it this way: “Show how remarkable You are.”

Yes, Lord, show the world how totally unique and remarkable you are!

The Bible says that Jesus came to sanctify us (Hebrews 10:10), that is, to make us holy — set apart for God alone. In other words, He came to make us remarkable.

For years now, my father has operated a nursery for tropical foliage plants, selling them primarily to flower shops. He calls his business Old Weird Harold’s. This name is a play on three things—my father’s given name (Harold), the name of a character developed by Bill Cosby and, more importantly, a verse in Scripture which says, “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14 KJV — the NKJV says, “His own special people”).

Jesus has redeemed us from all iniquity. He has purified as to be His own special people who have a zeal for good works. Remarkable!

When my father ran a flower shop, he had his sales receipts printed to read, “Old Weird Harold’s Nursery and Emporium — a wholly owned subsidiary of Jesus Christ.”

All those who know the Lord Jesus Christ are holy — wholly owned subsidiaries of Jesus Christ. We belong to God alone — the remarkable people of a remarkable God, called to be remarkably zealous for good works. This is what changes the world.

It’s All About Love

• God is love. (1 John 4:8)
• In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
• Therefore, the heavens and the earth must be all about love.

Of course, there is much in the world that does not come from love. That is because of the choice Adam made for us all way back in the Garden of Eden. God had two trees there: The Tree of Life (which is the Tree of Love) and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam decided that he would rather have an intimate relationship with good and evil than with God, who is love. He failed to eat of the Tree of Love — to receive all the love God had for him. Consequently, he failed to love God, his wife and himself. This failure to walk in love soon led to Cain’s failure to love his brother Abel.

Though love has been obscured in the world because of sin and rebellion against God, who is love, it is still present. The Bible says that the love of God abides and that it endures forever (1 Corinthians 13:13; Psalm 136:1). Not only does it abide and endure, but it thrives and is mightily at work to bring about the fulfillment of all God’s purposes for heaven and earth.

God is love; love gives and serves. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus, the Son of God, is the Tree of Life, given by God that we may once again walk in His love.

God is love, so everything He does will always be about love.

But Have Not God

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

You could possess and exercise all the spiritual manifestations Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12 (tongues, prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, miracles, etc.) but if you do not operate in love, it is all in vain. It has no real, lasting value. It is nothing.

Why?

Because the Bible says that God IS love (1 John 4:8). If we do not have love, we do not have God. If love is not in whatever we do, then God is not in it. Love is inseparable from God; God is inseparable from love.

Many believers at Corinth had become obsessed with their possession and use of spiritual gifts. They thought the gifts were all about them and their exaltation. Lifted up with pride, they departed from the Great Commandment which Jesus taught in Matthew 22:36-40:

• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.
• Love your neighbor as yourself.

Without love, we are vain babblers. Without love, there is no benefit. Without love, we are nothing — zero!

But now turn that around and see what happens.

When we speak in love, our words become powerful. When we give ourselves away in love, there is great benefit. When we act in love, our faith becomes very meaningful and the world changes for the better.

The way we turn it all around is by loving God and loving our neighbor, for God IS love. When you enter into intimate fellowship with God, it will be impossible for you to not have love. Then your miracles will be meaningful.

Deeper Into the Mysteries

Been reading Mystics and Miracles: True Stories of Lives Touched By God by Bert Ghezzi. Here are a few excerpts from the Introduction which really light me up:

We get the word mystic from a Greek root that means “mystery.” A mystic is a person who is “introduced into the mysteries.” Broadly speaking, all Christians are mystics. We believe that by faith we are initiated into the mysteries of Christ’s death and resurrection. But most Christians are not mystics in the technical sense because we have yet to penetrate the Christian mysteries in depth. That’s what sets a true mystic apart from the crowd….

Why are the mystic’s lives marked by so many miracles? Why do they experience so many visions, healings, and other supernatural events? I have some thoughts on that question.

First, mystics are lovers. They love God with their heart and soul, and they love people with every ounce of their being. When they put their love into action, signs and wonders flow….

Second, if you look at it from another angle, you could say that mystics do not work miracles at all. You could argue that not even those who produce the greatest miracles are actually wonder-workers. They just draw near and stay close to Christ, who is the real miracle worker. The mystics are intimate friends of Jesus, and their personal relationship with him is so secure that they can ask him for favors and expect to receive them….

Third, God grants the mystics a foretaste of heaven and allows the supernatural realm to penetrate their earthly lives.

What Bert Ghezzi is describing is, to my way of thinking, normal Christianity. No, it is not average Christianity (the way things usually are), but the way Christians are supposed to live — fully in love with God and with people (Matthew 22:36-40), intimate friends with Jesus (John 15:9-17), always allowing the supernatural realm to penetrate our earthly lives (Matthew 6:10; 18:18-20). In the Great Commission, Jesus gave us great authority, saying,

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

If we know the Lord Jesus Christ, believing on His name, then these things ought to be following us. If they are not, there is no condemnation on us. We just need to enter deeper into the mysteries* of who Jesus is, what He came to do, what His cross and resurrection are all about, and who we are in Him.

We need to experience more of His love at work in us, and let it flow through us to others. We need to live in our new Holy Spirit birth from above (John 3:3), walk in our heavenly citizenship (Philippians 3:20), and exercise the authority of where we are seated in Christ Jesus at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6).

The deeper we live in the mysteries of the Lord Jesus Christ, the more our lives will bring forth a foretaste of heaven on earth.

* In the Bible, a mystery is a secret — not one that God is keeping from us, but one that God is revealing to all His people.

Being Holy

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

Many people think that holiness is about what we do: If we do enough good deeds, we are holy. But the truth is, you can no more become holy by your good works than you can become a banana by painting yourself yellow and hanging from a tree. It just doesn’t work that way.

The Bible says that we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. It is not our doing but His doing that matters. He offered His body as a sacrifice so that we could be sanctified — made holy — before God. The Greek word for “holy” means to be set apart. To be holy means to be set apart for God’s special purposes.

Being holy does not flow forth from doing holy deeds. Holy deeds flow forth from being holy.

Consider the banana again. It is a banana, not because of what it does, but because it flows forth from the life of the tree. It begins as a bud, then flowers, then begins to come forth as fruit. It does not strive, it does not strain. It does not try to create itself. It simply receives the life of the tree, and that life does the work within it. It does not try to color itself yellow. Being yellow does not make it a banana, but the banana is yellow because that is its nature.

Holiness is the same way. We do not strain to become holy. We simply enter into the work of Jesus, and He makes us holy. As we allow His life to flow through us, we begin to live and act in ways that reveal God’s special purpose, the destiny He has prepared for us.

Holiness is all about Him, not about us. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The Bible says that Jesus has offered His body “once for all.” That means that there is nothing else anybody can add to it. He has already done all that is necessary for us to be holy.

Stop trying to be holy — you’ll never make it. Instead, by faith enter into the holiness of King Jesus the Messiah. Then let His life work in you to bring forth the fruit of a powerful, world-changing destiny. For without Him, you can do nothing.

Seeing the Invisible

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Rabbi Daniel Lapin describes faith in a very similar way:

The word faith itself simply means the ability to see something presently still invisible as clearly as if it were already here. (Buried Treasure: Secrets for Living from the Lord’s Language, p. 107)

This makes perfect sense when you consider what the world is made up of. For as the author of Hebrews says:

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The Word of God is invisible — it cannot be perceived with our physical senses. Yet, it is the substance, the underlying reality of the entire universe. The invisible Word of God is what faith is all about--faith is believing that Word. Therefore, when we walk in faith in God’s Word, we are relating to the world in the most effective way. That is why Paul said that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). That is why Oral Roberts said that when we learn to see the invisible, we will be able to do the impossible.

Learn to see the invisible, by faith in the Word of God, and you will change the world.

Falling From Grace

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4)

Falling from grace is not about falling into sin. It is about falling into self-reliant, performance-based, behavior-oriented religion. It is falling out of intimate relationship with God. It puts the focus on us and not on Him. Any time we try to justify ourselves in any way, we have moved away from the way of God’s all-sufficient grace.

If you find you have fallen from grace and have been trusting in yourself, repentance (trading your thoughts for God’s) is always a beneficial thing. Set your focus on Jesus and trust Him in everything.

Doing the Works of God

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father in heaven. Many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus is still talking about false disciples and their fruit. There are many false disciples who will come to Him and say, “Lord, look at all we have done in Your name.” They come presenting themselves to the Lord on the basis of their works and behavior. But they do not know the Lord--in fact, Jesus declares, “I never knew you.”

They know nothing of the will of God. That is because they do not will to do His will and have no desire to fulfill His desire. They are into rules and regulations, not intimate relationship with God. They are entangled with the spirit of religion.

They eat from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They suppose themselves to be doing good, but the good from that tree is as detrimental as the evil, for it leads them to trust in themselves and not in God. Jesus says that they actually practice lawlessness.

Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29). Though these false prophets perform miracles in Jesus’ name, they do not believe in Him, therefore they do not do the works of God. Nor do they please God because without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Performance-based religion will never please God, because it is totally devoid of faith in Him. It is not good works and better behavior that is required, but a new birth from above. Always and in everything, we must be totally dependent upon God. Then we will be eating from the Tree of Life. This is the will of our Father in heaven.

Faith Pleases Love

• Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
• Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)
• Faith without works is dead. (James 2:17)
• Faith works through love. (Galatians 5:6)
• God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Without faith it is impossible to please God, for God is love, and faith works through love.

Fruit Doesn’t Lie

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Jesus told us to beware of false prophets. How do we recognize the false prophet? By their fruit.

• Every good tree bears good fruit.
• Every bad tree bears bad fruit.
• A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.
• A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

This means that if the fruit is bad, the tree is bad. If the fruit is good, the tree is good.

What is the fruit of false prophets? The spirit of religion. False prophets always seek to lead us away from trusting in God. They want us to trust in themselves, in their gods, or in ourselves (our abilities, strength, understanding, works, behavior). Those options always lead to death.

False prophets offer us the fruit from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It may appear very pleasant, good for fruit, and the way to life. But it disconnects us from God and causes us to lean on our own understanding. The Bible says,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

When we set our heart on the LORD and put all our trust in Him, He will direct our paths. We will be operating out of His wisdom and guidance. We will be tuned into life, dialed into prosperity. We will be eating from The Tree of Life.

Adam and Eve were deceived by the false prophet — the serpent in the Garden — and they were disconnected from the life of God. They thought if they could eat of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would be able to direct their own path. But that path led them only to bitterness and death.

False prophets are false shepherds. Though they come pretending to care for the sheep, they are actually wolves — thieves who break in to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came to give us the abundant life of God (John 10:10).

False shepherds come to sow tares in God’s wheat fields. The thing about tares is that they may look very much like wheat. But when they come into fruit, their true character is revealed — they are nothing but worthless weeds, destined for destruction (Matthew 13:24-30).

False prophets load us up with rules and regulations. They hit us with accusation, condemnation and rejection, on the one hand. Then they proffer rationalization and self-justification on the other. It is all bad fruit from a bad tree.

God offers us good fruit, from the good tree — the Tree of Life. It is the fruit of faith, trusting completely in God, and not in ourselves. It is the fruit of forgiveness and acceptance through Jesus Christ. It is the fruit of intimate relationship with Himself.

Fruit doesn’t lie. False prophets will never bear good fruit — it will always have a poisonous seed within. Jesus Christ always bears nothing but good fruit — it will always lead to abundant life with God. What is more, all those who know the Lord Jesus have the Holy Spirit within. It is the work of the Spirit to bring forth the fruit of Jesus Christ in their lives: love, joy peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

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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.

Speak to the Storm

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

All of heaven and earth were created by the Word of God. Since it all consists of the Word, it must therefore be obedient and respond to the Word. We see in the Creation account that God has authorized man to speak His Word over the earth:

• God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27). That is, man was made to represent the image of God on earth.
• God puffed His Spirit — the Spirit of Life — into his nostrils (Genesis 2). This is paralleled in the New Testament when Jesus puffed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).
• God commanded man to fill the earth and subdue it, and to exercise dominion over it (Genesis 1:28).
• The first assignment God gave Adam was to have dominion over the animals by naming them. Whatever Adam called each animal, that is what they were named (Genesis 2:19).
  

All who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, are authorized to speak in His name and with His authority. We are authorized to speak His Word, and when we speak it in faith, it will not return void but will accomplish the purpose and pleasure of God.

All creation, which was framed by the Word of God, is groaning together with birth pangs, waiting for the revelation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-22). It is earnestly expecting, even longing for us to arise and speak the Word of God which will restore order. We are authorized to subdue nature with the Word of God.

In Mark 11, after Jesus spoke to the fig tree and caused it to wither, He spoke to the disciples most solemnly:

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

Now, about speaking to the storm — when a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee, as Jesus and the disciples were crossing to the other side, the disciples feared because their little boat was being swamped. Jesus was peacefully asleep in the stern when they came to Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”

Notice carefully what Jesus did: “He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Jesus arose and spoke the Word of God to it. He was not quoting a particular Scripture, but He was speaking the character and purpose of God that is revealed in Scripture — for the LORD IS Peace (Joshua 6:24), and He calls us all to “be still and know” that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

But it takes faith, not fear. After calming the wind and the waves, Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (v. 40).

Many people, even many Christians, have been full of worry and fear about the many storms of this hurricane season. But Jesus would have us let His love cast out our fear, and exercise faith, just as He did on that stormy sea.

What is a hurricane but a mountain of weather? And Jesus has told us how to deal with mountains — speak to them in faith. It is not enough to just speak to them, we must have faith to believe that it will be done for us. And it is not enough to simply have faith, we must open our mouths and speak in agreement with our faith. It is in this way, Jesus says, that mountains will move.

That is exactly what Jesus did when He spoke to the storm. He believed in His heart that what He said would be done — and it was. When Jesus asked the disciples about their faith, I do not think He was simply saying, “Why don’t you trust me?” I believe He was challenging them to learn how to use their faith, just as He used His.

All of creation is groaning, waiting in expectation for the body of Christ to arise, just as Jesus arose in the boat, and set things in proper order by speaking the Word of God to it.

With the recent hurricanes, and the havoc they have brought, many Christians would ask, “Why did God allow this to happen?” But I believe that God would ask of the Church, “Why have you allowed this to happen?” For He has given us His Word, and the authority to use it.

Instead of wringing our hands and simply beseeching God to do for us what He has already given us faith and authority to do, it is time for us to rise up as the Church and say to the storms, “Peace, be still.” Tell hurricane Wilma to go jump in the ocean.