Monthly Archives: December 2012

Service

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“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we [Christians] who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”1

Sir Michael Costa, the celebrated conductor, was holding a rehearsal. As the mighty chorus rang out, accompanied by scores of instruments, the musician playing the piccolo (a little pint-sized flute) thinking perhaps that his contribution would not be missed amid so much music, stopped playing. Suddenly, the great leader stopped and cried out, “Where is the piccolo?”

The sound of that one small instrument was essential to the harmony, and the conductor missed it when it dropped out. The point? To the conductor there are no insignificant instruments in an orchestra. Sometimes the smallest and seemingly least important one can make the greatest contribution, and even if it doesn’t seem to make that big a difference to the audience at large, the conductor knows it right away!2

In God’s kingdom there is a place for everyone. There are no exceptions to this rule. Thus it is important that everyone is in his or her place if God’s work on earth is going to be done harmoniously.

At times I may feel insignificant and that I can’t do much for God, but as Edward Everett Hales said, “I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have a place for me in your kingdom work on earth. Please help me to sharpen my gift and use it for your glory in the world in which I live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:4-6 (NIV).

2. Adapted from Richard Love, Sermon: “Blowing Your Horn,” Memphis: Sermon Illustrations.

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Grumblers

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“Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining.”1

In much younger days I was working on a construction site and made a major mistake. I was scared to tell my boss. But when I did, he quickly put me at ease when he said, “Well, Dick, the fellow who never made a mistake never made anything.” And we fixed my mistake without any fuss or bother.

How different are negative people who are constantly looking for pegs on which to hang their anger, bitterness, and negativity. They complain about the weather, their boss, their health, and everything else they can think of to gripe about, and they never lack for ways to criticize others.

As John W. Stott said in his book, Christian Counterculture, “The censorious critic is the fault-finder who is negative and destructive towards other people and enjoys actively seeking out their failures. He puts the worst possible construction on their motives, pours cold water on their schemes, and is ungenerous towards their mistakes.” Not very flattering—to put it mildly.

Actually negative complainers are angry people. Instead of facing their anger and negative feelings realistically and resolving them, they project them onto others and express them in hurtful and destructive ways. They are not nice people to be around. So, whenever you and I are being over-critical, let’s examine our own heart to see what it is in us that needs to be faced, confronted and resolved.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of grumbling and complaining. Whenever I am tempted to criticize bitterly and have a negative attitude, help me to look into my heart and see why I am feeling the way I am. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 2:14 (Amplified Bible).

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When Tragedy Strikes

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Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”1

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “On October 16 our youngest daughter Susan, 25, (name changed) was murdered when she was with her boyfriend. It has been an almost unbearable pain. We want her back, yet we know she is with the Lord and that he is helping us through this awful time. Susan’s sister, Jessica, 27, and Susan were connected at the hip as it were. It’s been a hard time to lose a daughter and then watch the other die inside. Nothing seems to matter at times… How are we ever going to get through this?”

Dear Friend, I can’t even begin to imagine the terrible pain you and your family are experiencing because of this merciless and evil tragedy. My heart is with you, and I know that it can be incredibly difficult to understand why God allows such evil to happen.

As difficult as it is, when tragedy strikes, even when we cannot understand the whys and wherefores, with God’s help and the support of loving friends, it is essential that we mourn our losses so we can, in time, pick up the pieces of our broken hearts and go on—trusting God to turn our tragedy into a blessing that will touch the lives of many others who are also suffering tragedy and loss.

Do not be afraid to weep. That’s why God gave us tears. They help drain the pain of broken hearts. And in your sorrow I pray that God will give you loving friends who will weep with you and support you until your “night of weeping” ends and once again you will find joy “in the morning.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are touched with the feelings of our infirmities2 and that you understand our pain and care deeply. Please help all our hurting friends to grieve their losses and in so doing experience your loving presence and learn afresh what it is to be blessed by you. And please use them to be a support and blessing to others who are also experiencing grievous tragedy and loss. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:4 (NIV).

2. Hebrews 4:14-16 (KJV).

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Do You Want to Be Healed?

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“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”1

One of my favorite Bible teachers was such an inspiration to listen to. There was only one point where I disagreed with him. He taught that we need to confess our sins only to God. Wrong.

James disagreed too. True, we need to confess our sins to God but also to one another. This doesn’t mean that we need to confess to the “whole world” but we do need to confess to at least one safe, trustworthy person.

A safe person is someone who, when we confess our sins and failures, won’t judge, condemn, or shame us, nor tell the world of our weakness, but will love and accept us as we are—as God does.

Confession is needed for healing because unresolved guilt as well as super-charged repressed negative emotions such as resentment, anger, grief, shame, pride and so on will either cause many of our physical sicknesses or greatly aggravate them. When we confess our sins and get this poison out of our system, the way is cleared for healing. Unconfessed sin is a killer. It’s like a spiritual/emotional cancer and if we don’t get the “cancer” the “cancer” will get us in one way or another. It’s not without good reason that God’s Word teaches us to confess our sins before we even pray for healing.

Sadly, too often we are afraid to admit and confess our sins and failures for fear of being judged, criticized, or even condemned; so we keep them well hidden. Consequently, there is limited healing, for without confession there is no healing when our sicknesses are caused or affected by our unconfessed sins. It is not without good reason that the Bible also teaches: “So get rid of your feelings of hatred. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs…. Put away all evil, deception, envy and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation.”2

It is interesting that the Bible teacher mentioned above came down with a debilitating illness that slowly took his life—quite possibly before his time. I say this because he didn’t believe in what James said we needed to do to be healed.

When any “faith healer” avoids this principle of confession before praying for healing, he may do more harm than good in the long run if a false assurance is given to the sick person. God isn’t going to heal me of a sickness or problem that is a symptom of a deeper sin or fault unless I confess it and get rid of it. The mind can be very tricky. I may get rid of one symptom but, if I don’t deal with the cause, I’ll exchange it for another and kid myself that I’ve been healed!

Speaking personally, I learned early in life to repress and bury all my negative emotions but am physically healthier today than I was when half my age. I used to have terrible hay fever and had painful bursitis in both shoulders. When I got in touch with and confessed/expressed so much buried grief, hurt and anger, I was healed of both hay fever and bursitis. When I bury my grief, for instance, where do those tears go? I either express them in a healthy way (by sobbing them out) or they will affect me in an unhealthy way. The same is true of all repressed negative emotions. We either express them creatively, or we will, in some way act them out destructively.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, here’s a list of sins/faults that I have never confessed to another soul. Please help me to get in touch with any and all buried negative emotions and any sins of pride, jealousy, resentment, grief and so on so I can confess and resolve these. And please help me to find a loving, safe, and accepting person to confess these to—as well as confessing them to you—so I can be healed. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 5:15 (NIV).

2. 1 Peter 2:1-2 (TLB)(NLT).

NOTE: Correction for yesterday’s Daily Encounter. I had “Now the serpent [disguised as Satan, the devil]. It should have read, “Now the serpent [Satan, the devil, disguised as a serpent]….”

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Half Truthers-Masters of Deception

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The Temptation and Fall of Mankind: “Now the serpent [Satan, the devil, disguised] was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”‘ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”‘ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”1

When God created man and woman— Adam and Eve—he placed them in the Garden of Eden—which, at the time, was a perfect world—and not wanting mankind to be puppets on a string, God gave them a free will so they could freely choose to follow and obey him and be greatly blessed, or go their own way and pay the natural consequences. Along came Satan who, wanting to take revenge against God because in his attempt to dethrone God when he was one of the most beautiful angels in Heaven, was cast out of Heaven, came to Eve to tempt her to turn from God and, in so doing, destroy the apex of God’s creation.

To tempt Adam and Eve, Satan told Eve a part truth. Adam and Eve both knew that God had told them that if they ate of the forbidden fruit, they would surely die; that is, they would die spiritually and be eternally separated from God. So Satan said to Eve, “You will not die but be like God knowing both good and evil.” This was partly true in that she would know both good and evil, but what Satan didn’t tell Eve was that if she ate of the forbidden fruit, she would not only know good and evil but would be forever confirmed in a fallen state of evil.

Tragically, Adam and Eve bought into Satan’s lie, ate of the forbidden fruit and fell into sin. In so doing, they introduced sin and evil into the entire human race.

Unfortunately, part-truths can be the most deceptive form of lies there are. For instance, every false cult claiming to be a bearer of God’s Truth always has an element of truth in their teaching, as this is what makes them believable to those who are not aware of what God teaches in his Word, the Bible. The tragedy in this life is that if and when we turn from God and his ways to go our own way, we remove ourselves from God’s blessings and bring the natural consequences of our sin and rebellion upon ourselves. This is why it is imperative that each of us reads and studies God’s Word so we know exactly the ways of God and his truth, so that we will not be deceived by Satan and his evil demons, and ultimately be destroyed.

Fortunately, even though we inherited the sin nature when we were born, God loves us and made a way of escape by giving his Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin by dying in our place on the cross at Calvary 2,000 years ago. All we need to do, is to confess our sins, ask God for his forgiveness, and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are not only a God of infinite holiness and justice, but also a God of unconditional love and that you gave your Son, Jesus, to die in my place on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for all my sins so that I can be fully forgiven and receive your gift of eternal life. Thank you, too, for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you haven’t received God’s forgiveness and accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, for help read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at” www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Genesis 3:1-5 (NKJV).

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The Lighthouse

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by Ronnie Hinson

“There’s a lighthouse on a hillside / that overlooks life’s sea. / When I’m tossed He sends out a light, / light that I might see. / And the light that shines in darkness now / Will safely lead me on / If it wasn’t for the lighthouse / This ship would sail no more.

“Oh I thank God for the lighthouse / I owe my life to Him / King Jesus is the lighthouse / Upon the rocks of sin / He has shone a light around me / That I could clearly see / If it wasn’t for the lighthouse / Then where would this ship be.

“Everybody that lives around us / says tear the lighthouse down / You know the big ships / they don’t sail by this way no more / so what’s the use of it standing ’round? / Ahh, but then my mind goes way on back / to that stormy night, / when just in time, oh thank God I saw the light / ‘Twas the light from that old lighthouse / that still stands up there on a hill.

“Oh I thank God for the lighthouse / I owe my life to Him / King Jesus is the lighthouse / Upon the rocks of sin / He has shone a light around me / That I could clearly see / If it wasn’t for the lighthouse / Then where would this ship be.

“Oh, If it wasn’t for the lighthouse / Then where would this ship be.”1

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for giving your Son, Jesus, to be the saving lighthouse for a sin-sick lost world that includes me. Thank you for saving me from a lost eternity by forgiving me for all my sins and for your gift of eternal life to spend eternity with you in Heaven forever. Please help me to point others to Jesus, the lighthouse. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ronnie Hinson, “The Lighthouse.” Sung by The Happy Goodmans at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl–4pJ_oeo&feature=related.

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Watchman: A Solemn Warning

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“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.”1

In ancient days, as in the days of Ezekiel some 500-600 years BC, many cities built large stone walls several feet thick—sometimes a double wall—surrounding their entire city to protect them from invading armies. Tall towers were built at the corners of the wall in which watchmen were stationed to keep a look out for any approaching hostile forces. More watchmen kept watch by walking on the walls while other watchmen were on guard at the city gates. When the watchmen saw an enemy army approaching, they were to blow the warning trumpet to alert their troops and to warn the people of the approaching enemy. If the watchmen failed to warn the city, they would pay for their failure with their life.

God also commissioned the prophet Ezekiel to warn the people of Israel against living ungodly lives saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.”2

Today, God is calling every Christian to be a watchman/woman to inform people that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”3 That is, every person will, when they die, stand before God to give an account of his/her life, and unless one has received God’s forgiveness for all their sins, they will have to bear that judgment for themselves—the just penalty being to spend eternity totally separated from God and all loving relationships in the place the Bible calls Hell—whatever and wherever that may be. However, the good news is that God has given his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all mankind’s sins so all who choose to do so can receive God’s pardon for all their sins and receive God’s gift of eternal life to live forever with Him in Heaven. As God’s Word says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”4

Equally important is that every Christian is also called to be a watchman/woman having been commissioned by Jesus Christ to let everyone know that God has provided a way of escape from the punishment of Hell by providing a full pardon for all who choose to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. As Jesus commissioned his followers saying: “You are to go into all the world and preach [God's] Good News to everyone, everywhere.”5

The Word of God gives a solemn warning to all mankind regarding judgment after death. It also notes a solemn responsibility for every Christian to be actively involved in informing people regarding God’s warning and for sharing God’s message of forgiveness through the saving gospel of Jesus Christ —the only hope for lost mankind and our sin-sick world.

Will you answer God’s call to be a Watchman/woman for Jesus Christ? To help you do this in a simple and attractive way, please prayerfully consider joining with ACTS as a People Power for Jesus Partner. There is no charge and simple helps are provided for every person who has an e-mail address and access to the Internet. For more information and to join with us please go to: www.actsweb.org/people_power/. Please don’t delay, join with us today as 150,000 people a day are dying—most of whom are going to a lost eternity without Jesus Christ and without hope.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in appreciation for your giving your life to pay the just penalty for all my sin, and for your forgiveness and the gift of eternal life with you in Heaven forever, I surrender my heart and life to you and choose, with your help, to be a watchman or watchwoman to help share the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. I admit that I am afraid, but I am available for you to do your work through me. Thank you for your help, for using me, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, I encourage you to join with us as a People Power for Jesus Partner. You can do this at: www.actsweb.org/people_power/.

NOTE: If you have never received God’s full pardon for all your sins, please read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Ezekiel 33:6 (NIV).

2. Ezekiel 3:17-19 (NIV).

3. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

4. John 3:16 (NKJV).

5. Mark 16:15 (TLB)(NLT).

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Title: No Ifs, Buts, or Maybes … God’s Imperative

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I heard a speaker recently talking about almost being a Christian, which sounded as rational as the drowning man who was almost rescued. Obviously, he wasn’t. Likewise, the person who is almost a Christian, isn’t.

In today’s world many claim to be Christians because it is the “politically correct” thing to say in certain circles, or because they claim that they are not heathen; or because they attend church; or because they live a moral life, or even because they are religious. But do any of these qualify one for being a Christian? No. Not at all.

If any of the above issues qualified one for being a Christian, then Nicodemus, a highly respected religious leader in Christ’s day, would have qualified, but he didn’t. Besides being a religious leader, Nicodemus was undoubtedly a model citizen—strong in character and a man of integrity. In fact, as good a man as Nicodemus was, Jesus assured him that unless he was born again he wouldn’t even see the Kingdom of Heaven, let alone enter it.

To this good man Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”1 And again, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”2 Jesus then reinforced this imperative by telling Nicodemus that unless an individual is born again of God’s Spirit, he/she “cannot enter the kingdom of God.”3

“You must be born again” is an imperative that applies to every one of us. That is; if you and I are going to see and enter God’s Heaven, there are no ifs, buts, or maybes—we, too, must be born again. No matter how good, famous, rich, poor, or humble we are, we, too, must be born again.

So what does it mean to be born again? Nicodemus was confused, too, and asked the same question of Jesus. Simply put, it means that we need to be born spiritually as well as physically. That is, when we entered the human race we were born physically; to enter God’s Heaven we need to be born spiritually! And how can we be born spiritually? We do this by confessing to God that we are a sinner in his sight; by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross to pay the just penalty for all our sins; and by inviting Him into our heart and life as personal Lord and Savior and asking for His forgiveness for all of our sins.

If you are not sure that you have been born again spiritually, the following prayer will help you to do this: “Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs and sins that I have committed. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as my Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, for the assurance that I have been born again, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and genuinely meant it, please fill in the brief form at: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php and we will send you helpful articles (without charge) to help you grow in your Christian life.

For further help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—Without Having to Be Religious” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. John 3:3 (NKJV).

2. John 3:7 (NKJV).

3. John 3:5 (NKJV).

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Heaven: What Will It Be Like and Who Will Be There? Part III

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In concluding this series of Daily Encounters on Heaven, we ask the critical question, “Who will go to Heaven?” As Jesus said, he was going to prepare a place in Heaven for all who believe in him.15 That is, all who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins, and in doing so, grants forgiveness and the gift of eternal life to all who accept him as their personal Lord and Savior. There are no other grounds for entering Heaven. As Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God in Heaven] except through me.”16

God’s Word also says, “But to all who believed him [Jesus] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”17 And again, “He who has the Son [Jesus] has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life [in Heaven], and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”18

The important thing is that you know that have received God’s forgiveness and his gift of eternal life by having accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior—and thereby be absolutely certain that you will go to and be with God in Heaven forever when your life on earth in over.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the promise in your Word, the Bible, that there is a Heaven. Thank you, too, that right now Jesus is preparing a place there for all who believe in him, and have accepted your forgiveness. Please help me to be absolutely certain that I will go to Heaven when my life on earth is over—or should you return for your true followers before I die. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: For help to be sure you will go to Heaven read “God’s Invitation” at: http://tinyurl.com/gods-invitation, or “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian, and/or “Passport for Heaven” at: http://tinyurl.com/passport-heaven. Whatever you do, don’t leave earth without your passport for Heaven. It’s available to all who ask for it and it comes without charge.

15. John 14:1-4.

16. John 14:6 (NIV).

17. John 1:12 (NLT).

18. 1 John 5:12-13 (NKJV).

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Heaven: What Will It Be Like and Who Will Be There? Part II

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Where Is Heaven? The Bible doesn’t tell us where Heaven is located, but what it does tell us is that it is where God is, and that it is the place of God’s throne.5 Furthermore, it is also where Jesus is. As the Bible says, “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them [his disciples— following his resurrection], he was taken up into Heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.”6

Heaven is also where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for his followers. As he promised his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house [God's home] has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”7

What Will Heaven Be Like? We can’t even begin to imagine what Heaven will be like apart from a tiny glimpse of the new Heaven as found in God’s Word where it says that the “the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”8 The Bible also says that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”9

Furthermore, in Heaven there will be no more death; no more sorrow; no more crying; no more pain; no more sun or moon, no abominations,10 and no more hunger, thirst or heat.11 In other words, there will be no more sickness, sadness, crying, death nor loss of loved ones or friends, and no more suffering of any kind, but eternal peace, satisfaction and joy. As King David wrote: “In Your [God's] presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”12

Most important of all is that a temple will no longer be needed “because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb [Jesus] are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”13 In other words, the glory of God will be the very center of Heaven for all existence will radiate from and revolve around him.14

We ask, too, who will go to Heaven, and how can we be certain that we will be included? We will answer this question in tomorrow’s Daily Encounter.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are not only preparing Heaven for all your true followers, but also for giving us a glimpse of its absolute beauty. Thank you, too, for assuring us that it is a place where all sorrow and suffering are ended, and that we will live in perfect peace and harmony with you forever. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

5. Acts 7:49.

6. Mark 16:19 (NIV).

7. John 14:1-3 (NIV).

8. See Revelation 21:18-21 (NKJV).

9. 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT).

10. Revelation 21:4, 23, 27; 22:5.

11. Revelation 7:16.

12. Psalm 16:11.

13. Revelation 21:22-23 (NIV).

14. See also Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV).

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