Speaking to My Body and Overcoming Resistance

So Jesus answered and said to them, “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)

This past month I slowed my pace down a bit in order to give attention to a health issue that came up over Christmas. Early on December 26th I awoke with abdominal pain from what turned out to be a kidney stone. Praise God, the stone passed within a couple of days, and with relatively little pain. The stone was small, and remembering how Jesus said we could speak to mountains and expect to see them move, I figured I could speak to a small kidney stone and expect to get results. So I told it to break up and dissolve harmlessly away. And it did, breaking up into tiny fragments. Praise God.

This incident, however, alerted me to a larger issue. On that first morning when I was experiencing so much pain, Suzanne drove me to the walk-in clinic where the doctor did a few tests, including blood work. Well, one of the things the blood test showed was that I had a very high glucose level—and that ain’t good. So this past month I have been addressing that.

First, I repented for eating like a fool and abusing my body, especially my pancreas, with all the sweets and sugars I had been consuming (especially at Christmas). Then I began to apply the power of the name and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to the problem, claiming the promises of God and the healing Jesus came to bring us (according to Isaiah 53:4-5). Next, I asked God to give me wisdom concerning the changes in lifestyle I knew I would need to make in my eating habits, and also concerning exercise. I was not eating terribly poor, but I was not eating very well either, and I had become too sedentary—a bad combination.

The Lord led us to a good doctor who has more confidence in the natural foods designed by God than he does in prescribing medicines (though he does prescribe when necessary). He diagnosed the problem as hypoglycemia and recommended a diet with plenty of raw foods (vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and fruit—light on the fruit) and regular exercise. The Lord also led me to a good book that helped me understand that the root problem is insulin resistance and gives me a good nutritional plan for overcoming it. The book is called The Insulin-Resistance Diet, by Hart and Grossman, and offers a simple plan for “linking and balancing” carbohydrates with proteins for managing metabolism and blood glucose.

I’ve started being kind to my pancreas. The Bible tells me that I am “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). I believe that includes all of me, including my pancreas and the insulin it produces. So I am being kind and telling my body to quit resisting that insulin but to use it appropriately. I have also started to get regular exercise, right now mostly through walking, and using a mini-trampoline (which is harder than it looks) along with some other forms. I bought a blood glucose monitor and check myself every morning. I am happy to report that I am now getting normal readings—and I’m losing weight, too. Praise God for His faithfulness, and for His wisdom which is teaching me new habits for a long and healthy life.

So my focus in January was largely on those things, which is why I have not blogged as much lately. But as these new health disciplines become naturalized habits, I am ready to get back up to speed with teaching, writing and other ministry tasks.

It is good to know who we are in Jesus Christ, that we are accepted in the Beloved, and what we can do through faith in God and His Word.

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Healing Scriptures and Prayers
by Jeff Doles

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The Kingdom of Servant Greatness

Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant … just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26,28)

On the heels of the parable about the landowner and the laborers, where the punch line is “So the last will be first, and the first last,” Matthew records this account, where the symbolic language of parable gets fleshed out:

Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:17-19)

Here is Jesus, preeminent as king in His own kingdom, giving Himself over to be treated as anything but king. He is rightfully the first and the greatest, but He trades that for the place of the least and the lowest. The first was willing to become last that the last might become first. But that is not the end of the reversal, for because He joined Himself with the last, God performed the greatest reversal of all, making Jesus the first above all firsts.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

There is more to reflect on in this story, however, for the mother of James and John came to see Jesus:

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” (Matthew 20:20-21)

The request actually came from James and John, as the parallel account in Mark 10:35-45 shows, but they enlisted the help of their mother. They were seeking the place of preeminence, the place of being first—greatness in the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The lesson of the parable had not yet penetrated their hearts for, clearly, they did not yet comprehend the true nature of what they were asking.

But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”

So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” (Matthew 20:22-23)

James and John answered accurately, though not out of understanding, and Jesus recognized it as prophetic: Not only were they able, but they would indeed do so. But what they wanted was not in Jesus’ hand to give, but the Father’s. For Jesus did not even seek to exalt Himself, but was exalted by the Father.

Now, the other disciples caught wind of what James and John had done, and the situation might have turned ugly — as if the others did not desire the same thing for themselves — except that Jesus took it as an opportunity to enlighten them on the nature of true greatness, making explicit what had been veiled in the previous parable.

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:24-28)

Jesus turned everything upside down. In the world of the Gentiles, greatness was about being able to lord oneself and exercise authority over others, and the disciples had been infected with that kind of thinking. But it is not so in the kingdom of Heaven on Earth, where those who desire to be first must be willing to become last, and those who want to be great must take on the role of the servant.

Carefully note what Jesus is saying, but also what He is not saying. He is not saying how to become great; He is describing greatness itself! That is, He is not telling us how, by serving others, we can eventually rise to the place of greatness where we no longer need to serve but can exercise authority over others. That’s a power trip that comes from the bowels of hell, not the heart of the Father. No, Jesus is teaching us that serving others is greatness. Paradoxically, when we take the place of the servant and become the last, we become the first, for the first is the servant of all.

It is the way of God Himself. I call it the algebra of love: God is love; love gives and serves. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (John 3:16). It is the way of Jesus, for He did not come to be served — to lord it over people and exercise authority over them — but to serve. Not only to serve, but to give up His life for the sake of others. It is as an obedient bondservant that He has been highly exalted by God and given the name that is above every name.

Jesus, who made Himself the last, the servant of all, has been made to be “the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). God has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the Father, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21). Not only that, but Paul teaches us that God has also made us (believers in Jesus) alive together with Christ, and raised us up together, “and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6).

Notice the time and the place. The verbs are in the past tense. That is, they do not describe a future event for which we wait, but an accomplished fact, a present reality out of which we live. We are now seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Where is He seated? At the right hand of the Father, far above all principality, power, might and dominion. Then that is exactly where the Father has seated us, too — at His right hand, far above all principality, power, might and dominion. Isn’t that what James and John desired?

Greatness in the kingdom of Heaven on Earth is in being a servant. For we rule and reign with Jesus, the Servant King, and “as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).

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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.

The Grace of Heaven on Earth

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. (Matthew 20:1)

In Matthew’s Gospel, after the encounter with the rich young man, and Jesus’ discussion with His disciples about it afterwards, Jesus segued into a parable of the kingdom. The narrative begins and ends with this paradox: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:20) and “So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16). The parable in between (Matthew 20:1-15) shows how this surprising turn-around takes place.

In this parable the landowner went out at about 6 a.m. and hired a group of laborers for a denarius a day (the standard wage) and put them to work. At 9 a.m., he went and hired another group, saying, “Whatever is right I will give you.” Though they had no reason to expect a full day’s pay, since they would not be giving a full day’s work, they had every right to expect the standard wage pro-rated to them. At noon, the landowner went out again and did the same. Then at 5 p.m., an hour before quitting time, he hired one last little group, saying, “What is right you will receive.”

Finally, evening came, and it was time for all the workers to be paid. The landowner had them line up to receive their wages. He paid the last ones first. To their surprise and delight, the latecomers each received a denarius — a full day’s pay. Now the ones who had worked the full day, seeing this, supposed that since the last ones were receiving the full wage, the first ones would be receiving that and more. But to their surprise and chagrin, they each received a denarius — nothing more.

How they complained about the landowner! They felt cheated and abused. “These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.”

Hearing one of them grumble, the landowner answered him directly. “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?”

The truth is that he had wronged nobody; he simply showed goodness to those who needed it. Because of his generosity, those who earlier were content to receive a full day’s wage for a full day’s work now felt they deserved more, and they became greedy and jealous.

Jesus concluded the parable with this: “So the last will be first, and the first last.” There are those who think they should be valued more because they are first, and others who believe they are worth less because they are last. But they are all the same with God. He cares just as much about the poor and helpless as He does the rich and powerful. In the kingdom of God, it is never a question about our worthiness but about His grace. Even those hirelings who labored the whole day were the recipient’s of grace, for the landowner was under no obligation to hire them in the first place. It was his favor that gave them a paying job.

The rich young man, whose encounter led to this parable, thought he was ready to pursue eternal life, but the thing that gave him prominence in the world turned out to be the very thing that held him back because he was unwilling to let it go. On the other hand, Jesus was desire for him to remember the poor, who have nothing but God to lean on. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The “poor in spirit” are those who realize they have nothing except God, but they also know that He is more than enough — something the rich young man failed to understand. So the last indeed become first, and the first last.

Those who hold onto position, possessions and the pride of being first may end up with nothing; but those who let go of these things and trust in the goodness and grace of God will always have enough and more.

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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.

The Reciprocity of Heaven on Earth

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)

This text is from “Part Two” of the story of the Rich Young Man who came to Jesus seeking eternal life. Jesus counseled him to sell what he had and give to the poor, but the man went away with great sadness because his wealth had such a powerful hold on him that it had taken the place of God in his life. After he left, Jesus discussed this with His disciples.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-34)

His disciples were greatly amazed. “Who then can be saved?” They had assumed that material prosperity meant God’s blessing was on a person. After all, Psalm 112:3 says that wealth and riches will be in the house of those who love and serve the Lord. That is true enough, but it is not a guarantee that those who are rich are also faithful. The promise is for those who love, trust and serve God. Those who love trust, and serve money may experience wealth and riches for a season, but it will not last because it is out of order — it is not true prosperity. Those who love and trust in their riches, as this young man did, do not enter the kingdom of heaven. The disciples were astonished by Jesus’ statement because they still had too much of the world’s way of thinking in their system. It was a puzzlement to them: “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked directly at them and answered, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (v. 26). Impossible, yet possible — a paradox. It is impossible for those who trust in their riches, yet possible for those who trust in God. The young man’s problem was not that he was rich, but that he loved his possessions more than he desired God. He cared more about his wealth, it turns out, than he did about eternal life.

Remembering what Jesus instructed the young man, “Sell what you have and give to the poor,” Peter saw hope, a way for the impossible to become possible: Let go of riches and embrace the way of God. “See, we have left all and followed You,” he said, “Therefore, what shall we have?” If the rich young man had done as Jesus said, and followed Him, he would have entered into the kingdom of heaven. Even though Peter and the disciples did not have the same wealth the young man possessed, they did give up everything to follow Jesus. Surely that would mean something, wouldn’t it? He was beginning to see that it is not what you have, but who you trust that makes all the difference. Now, watch carefully how Jesus answered:

Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:28-29)

“Assuredly” indicates that this is a key truth, vital to our basic understanding concerning the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The “regeneration” Jesus is talking about is not the individual “born again” experience he spoke of to Nicodemus. No, He was talking about the “new birth” of the world, the spiritual transformation that would begin when Jesus, the Son of Man, ascended to the “throne of His glory.” Not only would He be sitting on His throne, the place of ruling and reigning over His kingdom, but those who follow Him would also be seated on thrones to rule and reign with Him.

When would this take place? When the Son of Man is enthroned in glory. When will that happen? It has happened already! It happened forty days after the Resurrection, at what is called the Ascension. The Son of Man ascended to heaven and was seated on His throne at the right hand of the Father, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21). Not only that, but all who follow Him have also been seated with Him, to rule and reign with Him forever.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6, emphasis mine)

Though the rule and reign of Jesus and all His disciples has not yet been fully manifested in the earth, it has indeed already begun. We see it, for instance, in the authority Jesus gives us in Matthew 18:18: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” And in John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” And in the Great Commission, where Jesus declared:

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

By binding and loosing, and bringing the Gospel of Forgiveness to Israel and the nations, the disciples of Jesus exercise the rule and authority of Heaven on Earth.

Now notice what else Jesus said in answer to Peter’s question: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” This, likewise, is not just about the age to come, but about this life, for the age to come is now breaking into this present age. The parallel account in Mark’s Gospel makes this clearer:

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30, emphasis mine)

The rich young man came to Jesus seeking eternal life. Jesus told him to sell what he had, give to the poor and follow Him — to leave it all behind for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel. But his eyes were too fixed on this age, and all its ways, to see that God’s kingdom was breaking into the world. He would have had a hundredfold return of whatever he left behind — now in this time — as well as eternal life in the age to come.

It is the reciprocity of Heaven on Earth. When we make the kingdom of God and His righteousness our priority, everything else will be added to us. And whatever we let go for the sake of His kingdom, we will receive again a hundred times over.

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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.

Made Holy is Made Wonderful

Know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly. (Psalm 4:3)

“Holy” is a word that people use religiously, but often without any clear idea of what it means. But its meaning is very simple: To be holy is to be set apart for God’s own special purposes.

Psalm 4:3 gives us an important truth we need to know and understand: The Lord has set apart the godly for Himself. He has made them holy; He has a special purpose and design — a destiny — for them. The Hebrew word literally means “distinguished” or “made distinct.” In contexts such as this, it means to “show as marvelous,” and to “make wonderful.” Keil and Delitzsch, in their Commentary on the Old Testament, note that “what is meant is not the mere selection, but the remarkable selection to a remarkable position of honor.”

Who are these whom God makes wonderful and reveals as marvelous? They are the godly ones. In Hebrew, they are the hasid, the righteous ones who honor the Lord and live in awe of Him. They have received the hesed (steadfast love and mercy of the Lord) and extend it to others.

“Know that the LORD has set apart for Himself.” It always, always, always begins with God. He takes the initiative; our part is simply to respond to His work. We do not make ourselves holy. We could never make ourselves holy — it is impossible. But He shows us His mercy, we respond in faith, and He sets us apart for Himself — makes us wonderful and shows us as marvelous.

Holiness is not burdensome — it is bliss. To be made holy is to be made wonderful.

The Treasure of Heaven on Earth

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)

One day a rich young man came to Jesus and asked, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life.” He was somehow sensing a lack in his life, a disconnectedness from God, from heaven, even from life itself.

Jesus answered him simply, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He knew that was where the problem lay, as well as the solution the young man thought he was seeking.

“Which ones?’ the young man asked. Jesus named a few, notably, the ones that pertain to relationship with others (the Fifth through Ninth Commandments). “All these things I have kept from my youth,” said the young man, and yet he still knew that something very important was missing in his life.

Then Jesus gave this startling reply: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The young man went away greatly saddened because he had many possessions. Or as some have wisely noted, his possessions had him.

You see, the real problem was that he was trusting in his possessions, looking to them to be his source and supply. But in doing so, he was breaking the very first commandment: “I am the LORD your God; you shall have no other gods before Me.” This young man’s wealth and possessions had become his idols, usurping the place of God in his life. He was banking on them, instead of on God, to take care of him.

The young man departed and we do not know whatever became of him. But consider what would have happened if he had done as Jesus had told him. He would have entered into eternal life, the zoe life offered by God, the life Jesus came to bring us in abundance. Not only that, he would have discovered that he could trust God to take care of him and be his source of supply. He would have been banking on heaven.

“You will have treasure in heaven,” Jesus said. What is a treasury? Simply a storehouse. What is the purpose of a storehouse? It is a place where you keep things until you need them. “Treasure in heaven” is not God’s way to keep us from the things we need in this life. Quite the opposite, it is how God preserves for us the things we need in this life. When we commit ourselves and our means to the kingdom of God and His purposes, thieves cannot break in and steal them, varmints cannot consume them, and rust, rot and mold cannot corrupt them.

Watch how it works: Jesus told the young man to sell what he had and give to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven. The Bible says, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what He has given” (Proverbs 19:17). Perhaps the rich young man forgot this, but Jesus didn’t.

Now, here is an interesting thing about the Hebrew word for “lend,” lavah. It means to entwine or join together, as in an arrangement between two people. It is used of the relationship between a lender and a borrower. When we give to the poor, God makes a deal with us where we are the lender and He is the borrower. God always makes good on His debts. The Hebrew word for “pay back” is shalam, and in this arrangement means that He will reciprocate, recompense, and restore. And when God repays, it is always with interest.

If this young man would have sold what he had to sell and given out of it to the poor, he would have had an account with God in the bank of heaven. Then when he himself was in need, God would have repaid him handsomely. But his money and possessions had become his idol, and he trusted in them more than he did in God. And he went away sorrowful.

When we bank our treasure in heaven, God will meet our needs on earth.

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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.

Because of His Great Love

Oh, give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good!
Because His great love endures forever!

(Psalms 136:1)

God is love. Therefore, everything He does is because of His great love. Everything! Psalm 136 lays it out for us:

• All the great wonders He works He does because of His great love.
• He made the heavens by the wisdom of His great love.
• He drew the dry land out of the water and placed the sun, moon and stars because of His great love.
• He struck the firstborn of Egypt because of the great love He had for His people, to deliver them from cruel bondage.
• He brought Israel out of captivity because of His great love.
• He manifested His mighty strength on their behalf because of His great love.
• He divided the Red Sea and let Israel pass through it safely because of His great love.
• He let the Red Sea swallow up Pharaoh and his army because of His great love.
• He led His people through the wilderness because of His great love.
• He struck down great and famous kings — Sihon of the Amorites and Og of Bashan — to protect His people because of His great love.
• He gave their land as an inheritance to Israel because of His great love.
• He remembers us in our lowly state and rescues us from our enemies because of His great love.
• He makes provision for all His creation and gives food to all flesh because of His great love.

Give thanks to Yahweh because He is good and His great love endures forever.

Recession? No Thanks

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

There has recently been a lot of talk about recession. Well, I don’t know whether or not one is coming. All is know is that my wife and I have decided that we are not going to be taking part in it, thank you very much. Of course, when I tell people this, I get some very confused looks: “How can you not be a part of it? Everyone is gonna be part of it. You gotta be part of it — you have no choice!”

Now, if the economy was our source and supply, I guess they would have a point; when the economy goes south, we would just have to go south with it. Fortunately, though, we no longer look to the economy to be our supply. Our supply is from God, and He is not in recession. Never has been; never will be.

God will never have say to us, “Well, I’d like to help you out with your need, but things are kinda tight right now, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe next quarter I’ll be a bit more flush, but right now, I’m just strapped.” Nope. There are never any shortages with God; He always has plenty enough to go around. The promise is always “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” When we look to Him as our Shepherd, we shall never be in lack or want of anything (Psalm 23:1).

Remember what happened to Isaac in Genesis 26. There was a famine in the land, and the Lord told him not to go down into Egypt, but to dwell in a land He would show him, and God would take care of him just as He had taken care of his father Abraham. Isaac obeyed, trusting in the Lord. Though he was surrounded by a hard famine, he chose not to participate in it. Rather, he sowed his seed as if there had been no famine at all.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. (Genesis 26:12-14)

He received a hundredfold harvest — maximum return on his investment — so much so that the Philistines, who had no covenant with God, who did not know Him as their Shepherd, their source of supply, envied him greatly.

The Bible says that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), which means that what God has done for others, He will do for all who come to Him in faith. Just as He blessed and prospered Isaac, even in famine, He will also do the same for you and me. So my wife and I have decided that we are not going to take part in any recession, but in the blessing and provision of God who supplies all we need according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ.

God’s promises do not change with the state of the economy. He is still our Shepherd, and there is never any lack with Him.

Jury Duty: Opportunity for Onsite Prayer

Kingdom of God, come. Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10, my translation)

This week, God assigned me to go down to the Hillsborough County courthouse and pray for the kingdom of God to come and the will of God to be done there just as it is in heaven. That was my assignment, although I expect Hillsborough County had no idea that was what would be happening when they sent me a jury summons.

When I first received that county letter I was a bit annoyed. Sure, jury duty is a civic responsibility, and I have a great appreciation for the fact our justice system provides for trials to be conducted before, and decided by, a panel of our peers. But let’s face it, such duty is seldom convenient, although, at least in my home county, everyone tried to be as accommodating at they could be.

As the day for appearing approached, I began to see that God had given me an opportunity to go into the bowels of the justice system and call for godly wisdom to be revealed in all the cases that were to be tried and all the decisions that we to be made. So I began to look forward to it.

The day finally arrived and I drove into Tampa, found a good spot in a nearby parking garage (I came early), filed through the security checkpoint and was processed, along with about three hundred other prospective jurors, into a large waiting room filled with chairs and some tables. Some people brought books to occupy their time, or grabbed a magazine from one of the nearby stacks. Others leaned back in their chairs and closed their eyes. There were also some chatty types scattered throughout, but they were generally sociable without being distracting. Everyone had their own strategy for waiting.

Finding a seat by a large man who turned out to be a truck driver, I began praying silently through the psalms for the day (five a day, because 150 psalms divided by thirty days in a month equals 5).

The time was broken up by various procedural matters. We were welcomed as a group, given a few instructions and explanations about jury service, and then sworn in, en masse, by one of the judges. Then we sat back and listened for our names to be called. Before long, a clerk began to rattle off lists and assembling little groups of about sixteen people, who were then led out by bailiffs for the next step in the selection process. This happened about every fifteen minutes, and when each reading came to end, a collective sigh of relief escaped all those who had not just been called.

In between lists, I returned to my psalms. When I finished that, I began meditating through Proverbs 14 (it was the 14th day of the month). Throughout it all, I offered up prayers, asking God to give His divine wisdom to each group, that each decision they made would reveal the heart of heaven, displaying the proper balance of justice and mercy. I was content to pass the day in that manner.

Then they called my name. I packed up my stuff and took my place in line, ready to move into the next level. I prayed for those who were in line with me. We were led into one of the courtrooms and seated before the judge who was to conduct the case for which we were being considered. The prosecuting and defense attorneys were also present, as well as the defendant, a somber-looking young man. I prayed for them all, that godly wisdom, justice and mercy would prevail in those proceedings, and in the life of that young man.

The case was about DUI, and the attorneys began to each one of us questions. Did we have any particular “feelings” about DUI? How accurate did we think breathalyzers were? What did we think about “the presumption of innocence” and about who had the burden of proof? We each answered in turn. Noting that I am a minister of the gospel, they asked me particularly about my opinion of DUI. I spoke my mind, that “driving under the influence” is wrong because it is dangerous and deadly, that I presumed the defendant was innocent until proven guilty, but that I presumed breathalyzers are accurate unless proven otherwise.

Then we were all led out while the judge deliberated with both attorneys about who would be impaneled in this trial. There were sixteen prospective jurors, but only eight chairs to be filled. In the end, I was not selected. So ended my duty.

I drove home, happy to be released, but also thankful for the opportunity to pray for God’s kingdom to be revealed and His will to be done in such a place where important, life-changing decisions are made. I may never know of any specific outcomes from my prayers that day, but I believe that when we pray the way Jesus taught us to pray, there will be divine, world-changing results.

Everywhere you go, there is an opportunity for you to pray for the kingdom of God to come and the will of God to be done there just as it is in heaven.

For the Sake of Heaven on Earth

There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it. (Matthew 19:12)

In Matthew 11, Jesus talked about the kingdom of Heaven on Earth forcefully advancing, and forceful men laying hold of it. In Matthew 13, He described it as a treasure hidden in a field, for which a man would give up all he has in order to possess it as his own. In Matthew 19, He briefly discusses a complication of marriage, particularly concerning divorce. Hearing this, his disciples said, “If such is the case with the man with his wife, it is better not to marry” (v. 10). Jesus answered

But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.” (vv. 11-12)

Referring to those “who have made themselves eunuchs,” He does not mean that they have emasculated themselves, as some have erroneously supposed. Rather, He is speaking of those who choose not to marry but to remain celibate in order to fulfill their destiny in God’s kingdom.

Some serve the kingdom by being fruitful and multiplying through marriage and family. Others serve by the devotion and focus unique to those who are single and celibate. Jesus recognized that not all receive, “but only those to whom it has been given.” In other words, it is a special calling. Concerning this same matter, Paul said, “As God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk” (1 Corinthians 7:17), and “Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called” (v. 20). He also cautions that it should not be a matter for great concern, for we are each free to marry or remain single, as the Lord has given us grace.

In the plan of God, the norm is for us to “be fruitful and multiply,” to “fill the earth and subdue it,” and to “have dominion” (Genesis 1:28). This is the prime directive given to man and woman, and it speaks of uniting in marriage, have children and nurturing families. For those do, great promise is given:

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

(Psalm 127:3-5)

But there is also great promise given to those who follow a special calling, who devote themselves in singleness and celibacy for the sake of the kingdom:

Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people;” nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 56:3-5)

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)

Whether you are married and nurturing children or single and celibate, let it be for the sake of Jesus, the Gospel and the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

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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.

Jesus the Anointed One

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me. (Luke 4:18)

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. (Acts 10:38)

In the West, we often tend to think of “Jesus” as His first name and “Christ” as His last, but that is not accurate. “Christ” is not His surname; it is His title, and speaks of His office and function. Our English word “Christ” is an anglicized version of the Greek word Christos, which translates the Hebrew word Messiah, which literally means “Anointed One.” That is, Jesus Christ is actually Jesus the Anointed One.

In the Old Testament, kings and priests were anointed to show that they were authorized and empowered by God to operate in those offices. The title “Anointed One” shows that Jesus is authorized and empowered by God to rule over His people as His perfect and final King. It also reveals that Jesus is the true and ultimate intermediary between God and His people. All other kings and priests in the Old Testament were merely types and foreshadows of Jesus the Anointed One.

What is the function or purpose of His anointing? First, let’s look in Isaiah 10:27, where we see a description of the anointing:

It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

The anointing is for removing all burdens from the people of God and destroying all the yokes of the oppressor. That is exactly what Jesus came to do — to remove the burdens and destroy the yoke of the oppressor. Jesus said,

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Bible teaches us that Jesus not only came to remove our burdens but also to destroy the yoke, or works of the devil:

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. (Hebrews 2:14)

Even the name “Jesus” speaks of this. In Hebrew, it is Yeshua, which literally means “salvation,” and speaks of deliverance, healing, and restoration to prosperity and well-being. We find all this in the anointing. One day, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and He read from the scroll of Isaiah (at Isaiah 61:1-2):

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

(Luke 4:18-19)

Then He sat down, indicating that He was about to comment on that passage, and said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). The gospel of Jesus the Anointed One lifts the burden and breaks the yoke of poverty, sickness, blindness and oppression, bringing prosperity, freedom and wholeness in their place. Because He is anointed with the Spirit of the LORD, all these things are fulfilled in Him and are available to all those who believe Him. Peter summarized it this way:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Remember that Jesus is the Christ, the One Anointed by God to lift every burden and destroy every demonic bondage in your life, and restore you to wholeness in every way.

Boundless Love

The first and most important thing is that we are boundlessly loved by God who blesses us to love Him boundlessly in return.”

— Fr. Thomas Hopko, 2007 commencement address
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.
Quote in First Things, December 2007.

Pure bliss!

The Kingdom of Forgiveness on Earth

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Peter thought he would be doing pretty good to forgive someone seven times. Jewish rule required only three times, while Peter was offering seven times. But he was asking a loaded question — and it backfired on him!

“Seven times isn’t nearly enough, Peter. Try seventy times seven” (my paraphrase). Jesus wasn’t quantifying forgiveness (forgive 490 times). No, He was saying that there is no limit to forgiveness. Then to drive the point home, He likened the matter of forgiveness to the kingdom of Heaven on Earth — it is vital to our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. (Matthew 18:23-27)

See how great a debt this man was forgiven. Ten thousand talents was an enormous amount of money. One talent equaled about 6,000 denarii; ten thousand talents was worth 60 million denarii. A denarius was about one day’s wage. If a man labored every day of his life, he would have to work over 164,000 years to pay off such a debt. But that is how much this steward owed his master — and that is how much he was forgiven.

Now, we ought to think that one who was forgiven such a debt would be willing, out of love, respect and gratitude toward his master, to forgive the debt owed him by another. But such is not the case.

But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, “Pay me what you owe!” So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. (Matthew 18:28-30)

This steward, who was forgiven the debt of 60 million denarii, was completely unwilling to forgive the debt of 100 denarii (one 600,000th of what he himself had been forgiven). The forgiveness of his master did not penetrate his heart. He did not let even a tiny bit of the kindness shown to him flow through him to someone else.

So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. (Matthew 18:31-34)

The master had forgiven the great debt owed him, but he did expect that the compassion he showed his servant would be reciprocated toward others. As Paul said, “Owe no man anything except to love one another” (Romans 13:8). That is the only proper debt we should have. Because of his unwillingness to forgive, the servant reaped a hard harvest of suffering and shame.

Now consider carefully Jesus’ conclusion to the matter:

So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. (Matthew 18:35)

Notice that forgiveness is first a matter of the heart. God has forgiven us a great debt, more than we could ever pay, and He intends for it to work throughout our heart like the leaven of love. When we are unwilling to forgive others, we are rejecting the work God wants to do in us, instead of letting divine love have its perfect way. God will not let up on us until we repay the debt of love and forgive those who have sinned against us.

Do not hinder the flow of forgiveness from heaven to earth. Let your love and forgiveness be without limits, and so let the heartbeat of your heavenly Father change the world through you. It is vital to the manifestation of the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

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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.

Prosperity for the Nations

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

(Psalm 2:10-12)

Psalm 1 shows how the individual can prosper and be blessed. Psalm 2 shows how all the nations of the earth can prosper and be blessed. Though it ends with a note of hope and assurance for all those, even heads of state, who put their trust in God, this psalm begins with a conspiracy of nations in rebellion: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?” (v. 1). What is interesting here is that the Hebrew word for “plot” is the same one used for “meditate” in Psalm 1. There it speaks of meditation — one’s self-talk — on the Word of God; here it refers to the vain imaginations of traitors egging one another on in accusation against God.

The psalm writer continues, “The kings of the earth have set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and His Anointed [Messiah]” (v. 2). This is the counsel of the wicked, the path of the sinful, the seat of the mockers. Hear the bile of their anger: “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us” (v. 3). They devise, they scheme, they connive. They twist and contort and imagine themselves a great terror to the purposes of God.

God laughs. Their brilliant strategy is utter nonsense, as comical as a flea trying to work jujitsu on an elephant. It does not slow Him down one bit as He prepares for the Great Coronation, and He lets them know it.

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

(Psalm 2:4-6)

And Messiah receives the assignment:

“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.’”

(Psalm 2:7-9)

All the nations of the earth are His inheritance; the whole world belongs to Him. Though He is the stone the kings and builders of the world rejected, He has become the Cornerstone with which everything must be set in proper order — or else be demolished.

And here’s an unexpected turn. Instead of dropping the hammer on them, God graciously extends an invitation, an opportunity to get a little life-saving wisdom.

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Get a clue. Receive correction. Figure out who is Lord of All and serve Him with all your heart, realizing how awesome He is and counting yourself fortunate to have come to your senses just in time. Run to His embrace and honor Him with a kiss, while there is yet time to know the happiness — the bliss — of finding all your peace and prosperity in Him.

Messiah has ascended to His throne and is receiving the nations for His inheritance, and He is calling them to receive Him, and know Him as King over all kings and Lord over all lords. The prosperity of the nations is found in Him alone.

Prosperity in This New Year

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:1-3)

Psalm 1 is a very good place to start off the new year. It offers us wisdom, prosperity and the sharp contrast of two very different ways.

First, there is the way of those who are flat-out wrong; not only morally wrong, but ultimately also strategically wrong — it does not work. In the last half of this psalm, we discover that the ungodly (those who reject the way of God) are like chaff driven away by the wind (v. 4). They will not be able to withstand the judgment of God (v. 5), but will perish in their way (v. 6). This way is wrong from beginning to end. It offers bad counsel, leads to corrupt actions and speaks with bitter, negative words.

It is good to be well-rid of such things, but that is not enough—they must be replaced with something much better. Enter into the second way:

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

Here is a focus that is completely different — the law of the LORD. Now, we often think of law as something that hinders us in our pleasures and pursuits. But that is not what the “law of the Lord” is about at all. The Hebrew word for “law” is torah and can just as well be translated “instruction.” See, God offers us instruction in how we can live and enjoy life to the fullest, to get the maximum benefit and pleasure. That’s why this psalm begins with “Blessed is the man.” It is not about sanctimony but about bliss — deep happiness.

The instruction of the Lord offers the best counsel of all, the wisdom of God. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, but He gives us His instruction so we can know His ways and think after His thoughts. They properly focus us and lead us into prosperous actions that bring prosperous results.

The instruction of the Lord teaches us how to think, act and speak. That last one is very important because the Bible teaches us that the world was created by words: God said, “Light, be!” and light was. God also created us to be speaking creatures, and our words can be very powerful, but apart from Him we simply don’t know what to say, so we often speak words that are very destructive.

But God has given us His Word, and the man who delights in it, who derives the greatest pleasure and benefit from it is the one who is always meditating on it. Now, the Hebrew word for “meditate” literally refers to what we might call our “self-talk.” When we meditate on God’s Word, we are talking about it to ourselves. As we do, this Word begins to teach us, revealing things to our inner man.

Jesus said that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). When we continually let the Word of God be the source of our meditation, our self-talk, then that is what our heart will be filled with. Consequently, that is what our mouths will begin to speak, which is something we will appreciate especially in times of great difficulty.

Delighting ourselves in the instruction of the Lord and always letting it speak to our heart produces great results: “He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” We do not have time to unpack those statements here, but it is all good and a description of bliss.

Happy New Year!

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.