I reached way down in my storehouse of information during the week and I brought out a song that has been a help and encouragement and challenge to me for years. The lady who wrote this song was a very gifted and talented individual who desired to be a concert pianist. And she developed a talent and gift for poetry. She was also a schoolteacher. Early in her career of teaching she developed a very severe case of arthritis. The doctors told her she would end up an invalid. Sure enough, as the years went by, she ended up in bed unable to use her fingers to write. However, she devised unique ways of writing her poems, which became songs. One of the ways she wrote was to type out her poems on a manual typewriter with her knuckles. And if you would read the biography of Annie Johnson Flint, you would appreciate this song even more, as she wrote it in great affliction.

He Giveth More Grace
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

     When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
     When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
     When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
     Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Chorus
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

  She, like the Apostle Paul, as we find in II Corinthians the 12th chapter, verses 7-10, embraced her affliction and boasted in her weakness, knowing that by God’s grace and mercy and favor she would be strong. “But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6).
  And we know that God giveth, and giveth, and giveth again, by His grace.

  The scripture text is Galatians chapter 6, verse 3 which says, “For if anyone thinks that he is something, while being nothing, he is deceiving himself.” Being nothing simply means that without Jesus you are empty. We see at the very beginning with Adam and Eve that they were deceived and they believed something that was not true in order to gain some personal advantage. And so, they thought that they would be something, but without God, there was nothing but death.
  We see Sampson in Judges the 16th chapter, verses 4 through 21, that he thought that he was something. He thought that he could take care of the situation at hand and that he was big enough and strong enough to do the job. But we find in verse 20, after he had given the secret of his strength that he was not supposed to give to anyone, Delilah had his hair cut because his long hair was the secret to his strength. And then he was no longer strong at that time. When Delilah woke him up the scripture says that “he did not know that the Lord had left him.” He thought he was something, but he was nothing. And verse 21 tells of the blinding, binding, grinding effects of his sin.
  Jesus spoke to the Laodicean church in Revelation chapter 3 verse 17 and said, “For you claim, ‘I am rich and getting richer- I don’t need a thing.’ Yet you are clueless that you’re miserable, poor, blind, barren, and naked!” John the 12th chapter, verses 35-50 speaks of what he is telling these people. They thought they were following the light, when, in reality, they were following the darkness.
  In Matthew chapter 7, verses 21 through 28, there were some people who thought that they were something. They said, “Why we prophesied, we cast out devils, we’ve done many wonderful works.” And yet Jesus said, “Depart from me you lawless ones, I never knew you.”
  “For if anyone thinks that he is something while being nothing, he is deceiving himself.”
Galatians 6:3

The scripture lesson is found in Exodus the 17th chapter, verses 8 -16 and, also, Deuteronomy 25th chapter, verses 17-19. You are probably aware of the scripture and the story of the children of Israel. They were leaving Egypt, being delivered, and headed for the promised land. They had a promise, a revelation, and a destiny to go to the promised land. Now Amalek was a descendant of Esau. Esau and his family had an inherent hate for Jacob because Jacob got the favor of God instead of them. They were very warlike people. Now it was unprovoked, but, when Israel was going through their land, Amalek attacked Israel. During the battle God told Moses to stand on the hill with his rod in his hand and to have his hands up while Joshua and the group were down fighting the battle. Through dependence upon God, prayer and obedience they won the victory and the battle. But we must not forget the importance of rock rolling and hand holding. It was a long battle. Have you ever tried holding your hand up with a rod in your hand for a long period of time? We know that the scripture says that Moses got tired, and when his hands started going down, Amalek and the enemies of Israel started prevailing. And then he got his hands back up and Joshua and Israel started prevailing. So, he was in a predicament. He was getting tired. It was going to be a long battle and he couldn’t keep his hands up. He was only one man, and it was too much for one man. He needed some help. So, Aaron and Hur were up there with him. They got to looking for a rock and they rolled that rock right over for Moses to sit down on to rest. Then Hur got on one side and Aaron on the other and they held his hands up until sunset and Israel prevailed, because there were people there to help Moses to hold his hands up, symbolizing prayer and obedience.
  We are on a journey. We are headed to the promised land. By divine revelation we have been called for such a time as this. We have had a great precious sacred calling and we also have an enemy. So, we also need rock rolling and hand holding people on our team, in our body of believers to help us. The Bible says we are “members one of another,'' and it’s not just by one, but we all must work together to get the job done. “But since we belong to the day, we must stay alert and clearheaded by placing the breastplate of faith and love over our hearts, and a helmet of the hope of salvation over our thoughts. For God has not destined us for wrath but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed one. He gave his life for us so that we may share in resurrection life in union with Him- whether we’re awake or asleep. Because of this, encourage the hearts of your fellow believers and support one another, just as you have already been doing.”  I Thessalonians 5:8-11 (TPT).
  Because we are on a journey and we all have a destiny and because the calling is so great, we need to rock roll and hand hold. Also, in Hebrews the 10th chapter we find in verse 23-25, “So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps his promises! Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing. In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning” (TPT).
  So, let’s each one be a member of the rock rolling and hand holding team.

  Do we assimilate and implement the word of God in our everyday behavior, especially in the hard, difficult and dark times? If we don’t, then we need to cling to and embrace in these hard times what we expect to see when our revelations turn into reality. What are you expecting to see in your revelations? Do you remember these revelations? Isa. 43:18-21(TPT), “Stop dwelling on the past. Don’t even remember these former things. I am doing something brand new, something unheard of. Even now it sprouts and grows and matures. Don’t you perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and open up flowing streams in the desert. Wild beasts, jackals, and owls will glorify me. For I supply streams of water in the desert and rivers in the wilderness to satisfy the thirst of my people, my chosen ones, so that you, whom I have shaped and formed for myself, will proclaim my praise.” And Isa. 54: 2-3 (TPT) “Increase is coming, so enlarge your tent and add extensions to your dwelling. Hold nothing back! Make the tent ropes longer and the pegs stronger. You will increase and spread out in every direction. Your sons and daughters will conquer nations and revitalize desolate cities.” Also read verses 4 through 8.
  So, while not seeing the fulfillment of your expectations, believe and act like it is already a reality, just like Abraham did. Sometimes our circumstances seem to speak louder than our promises and we are thrown into  the “prison house” of despair as was John the Baptist in Matthew chapter 11 when he was in prison and began to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. Satan is always trying to distort our perceptions because of our circumstances. He is a liar and he puts these lies in our minds. Our challenge in this world is to look past these lies and believe in what is true, God’s revelations. II Cor.10:5 says, “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
  We need to believe in the dark what we have seen in the light.

  Have you ever had your plans interrupted by something being forced upon you? We see in Mark 15:21 that Simon the Cyrene, that means he was from Libya in Africa, was compelled to bear the crossbeam of Jesus and he learned that some of life’s compulsions are enriching. If you remember the story, he had planned for a while to go to Jerusalem to participate in the religious activities. I’m sure he planned extensively and was looking forward to it. And as he got there, a line of people was on the road, and there was this man who was being taken to a place where they were going to crucify him. His name was Jesus. He was so weak from the tortures and the beatings that he fell under the weight of the cross right in front of Simon. The Roman soldier compelled Simon to come and pick up the cross of Jesus and to help him carry it. Can you imagine his feelings to begin with? He could have been frustrated, fearful, irritated. I don’t know. But, I know that as he was helping Jesus to carry the cross, I’m sure he felt and knew that there was something different about this man. Then he witnessed the taking of Jesus to Golgotha to crucify Him, and then Jesus having a personal conversation with the thief on the cross and he heard Jesus praying "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  As he witnessed the whole scene on Golgotha, somewhere in that time I’m sure that he became a believer. For we see here in Mark 15:21 and, also you will find in Romans 16:13, and Acts 11:20, not only that he became a believer, but Rufus and Alexander, his two sons became prominent, active members in the church. So, we see here, that even though he had to bear the cross, which is an instrument of death, it also brings resurrection and life. We see that Simon was compelled to bear the cross, he was forced, he didn’t choose it, he was forced to bear the cross, he learned that in life’s compulsions there can be richness and life.
  Remember the Apostle Paul when he was traveling as a great missionary to many different cities and countries. He preached the gospel and was converting people and encouraging people and all of a sudden, he was forced beyond his desire into chains and imprisonment. It stopped him from traveling. He found out that in carrying the cross of Jesus there is a richness to it and there is life in it. It was because he was there in prison that we have the prison epistles written by the Apostle Paul which is a great portion of the New Testament. And he reached more people through that, than if he had been traveling all over the world. So even though he was forced to bear the cross of Jesus, there was life and resurrection in it.
  Last, but not least, have you ever heard of Queen Esther in the Old Testament? She was busy being a queen. But she was also secretly a Jewish individual in a pagan land. Uncle Mordecai came and told her there was a plan to kill all the Jewish people. She had a decision to make. The cross was forced upon her without her choosing it. It interrupted her plans, just like it did Simon and Paul, it was thrust upon her. She came to the conclusion that she was going to speak to the King and "if I perish, I perish." We know that she saved the nation of Israel, the Jewish people. Remember what Uncle Mordecai said to Queen Esther when he was telling her the situation. And it applies to all of us when we think our plans have been interrupted and something has been forced upon us that we didn’t choose. Remember, the cross might be an instrument of death, but it is also an instrument of resurrection and life. Uncle Mordecai said to Esther, “And how do you know but that you have been called for such a time as this?”

  When I was a youngster, I was fascinated with a small hard-shelled beetle-like insect that we called a snapping bug. Some people called it a click bug. You could flip it over on its back and it would lay there and kick and all of a sudden it would snap, and it would go up in the air eight inches or more and come down back on its feet. So, we would take our finger and flip it back over on its back just a kickin’ and then it would snap and go up in the air and come back down on its feet.
  Have you ever been knocked off your feet? Have you had any setbacks? We want to look at three setbacks in the life of Peter. First of all, we find in the 16th chapter of Matthew, Jesus asked, “Who do people say that I am?” and Peter spoke up and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said, “Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you, but my Father which is in Heaven.” And in a few seconds, he had a setback. He contradicted Jesus and Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.” Second of all, Jesus told him, according to the Old Testament, the shepherd is going to be struck and the sheep are going to be scattered. And Peter told him that even though other people might deny you and scatter, I’m sure not going to be one of those, I’m going to stick right in there. And in just a little bit, he had a setback, he denied Jesus. And then we find the third setback in Galatians 2:11-14, if you remember, God gave Peter the revelation, don’t call what God has called clean, unclean, concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. He went back on that. The apostle Paul noticed that, and he confronted Peter in his hypocrisy, because he was bringing others along with him, so, Paul confronted him publicly. The Bible doesn’t say anything more about that, but we do know that Peter snapped back on his feet, and he was a blazing witness for Jesus, faithful to the very end. He was crucified, gave up his life for the love of Jesus and died a martyr. And you will read in The Passion Translation in the introduction to Matthew, they quoted the church fathers and historians who said that Peter and Paul preached together in Rome and set up new churches.
  So, if you have been knocked off your feet, had some setbacks or will have some setbacks, snap back like Peter. Be faithful and keep on rollin’.

  Today’s topic is in the form of a question. Are you willing to change your theology and your attitude? I will take our lesson from Acts 10 and draw some highlights from that. Peter, a Jewish fisherman, was called by Jesus to be one of His disciples. And you know the story, he had his ups and downs. And finally, Jesus was crucified, He arose from the dead and He told them to meet in the upper room until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, until the promise of the Father would be fulfilled. So, they did for ten days. They were waiting on God, and after ten days they were sitting, they were not kneeling or laying on the floor, they were sitting, and the Holy Spirit baptized them, and wonderful things happened. Peter preached a marvelous sermon and 3,000 people were saved. After that he had a ministry of healing, he healed people and some would put other people in his shadow to be healed, and he prayed for people to be raised from the dead. So, God was working marvelously with Peter. And we are thankful for that.
  Now, Peter didn’t know it, but God had something else cookin’ on the stove. And one of the reasons he probably didn’t know it was because of his theology or his attitude. He probably forgot that Jesus said somewhere in His ministry that He had other sheep that He was going to bring into the fold. Well, to a Jewish person who had been steeped in theology for hundreds of years that probably didn’t ring a bell because Jesus was speaking about the Gentiles that He was going to bring in. Jesus was working something in the Kingdom that he didn’t know about. Jesus was using Cornelius the soldier, a Gentile, who had been praying and looking to God for help. God told him to call for Peter and he would come and preach to him. Now what God was doing was that he was going to do for the Gentiles the same thing He did for the Jewish people on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was initially poured out in such a way of demonstration that they couldn’t deny it. And so, God was going to do this for the Gentiles. It was going to be like the Jewish Pentecost. It was going to be a Gentile Pentecost, where the baptism of the Spirit was going to come down in such a way that it was going to cause the early disciples to see that God was also bringing in the Gentiles. There was just one hitch, one little hiccup. Peter’s theology wouldn’t permit that. A Jew couldn’t go into the house of a Gentile. He would become unclean. So, Jesus was going to give Peter a refresher course, theology 101.
  We find in Acts 10: 9-14, “The next day around noon as Cornelius’ men were approaching Joppa, Peter went up to the flat roof of the house to pray, he was hungry and wanted to eat, but while lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance and entered into another realm. As the heavenly realm opened up, he saw something resembling a large linen tablecloth that descended from above being let down by its four corners. As it floated down, he saw that it held many kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and wild birds. A voice said to him, ‘Peter, go and prepare them to be eaten.’ Peter replied, ‘there is no way I could do that, Lord, for I have never eaten anything forbidden or impure according to our Jewish laws.’  In verse 17 “Peter was so stunned by the vision that he couldn’t stop wondering about what all it meant. Meanwhile, Cornelius’ men had learned where Peter was staying and at that same moment were standing outside the gate.” Verse 19&20 “...the Spirit said to him, ‘Go downstairs now, for three men are looking for you. Don’t hesitate to go with them because I have sent them.”
  And, you know, Peter was beginning to get the lesson. Jesus was beginning to change his theology and his attitude, so he could fit in with what God was doing at that particular time. He went with the men and got to Cornelius’ house. Verse 28, “Peter said to them, ‘You all know that it is against the Jewish laws for me to associate with or even visit the home of one who is not a Jew. Yet God has shown me that I should never view anyone as inferior or ritually unclean. So, when you sent for me, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?’”
And you know the story, as Peter was preaching to the Gentiles, we find in verse 44, “While Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit cascaded over all those listening to his message. The Jewish brothers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on people who weren’t Jews, for they heard them speaking in supernaturally given languages and passionately praising God. Peter said, ‘How could anyone object to these people being baptized? For they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’”
  So, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Jews at Pentecost, and because Peter was willing to have his attitude and theology changed, he was being used of God to see that His will was being fulfilled, because He was going to take the Jews and the Gentiles and bring them together into the body of Christ.
  In the year 2023 God has something cookin’. He has something going on and we may not know what it is, but it is going to be something great in the Kingdom. Now the question is, are you going to be willing, am I going to be willing, to have a theological adjustment or a change in our attitude, so that we can get in on the action?

Author: Spencer Lloyd

When Yahweh addressed idolatry to the Israelites in the fourth of the Ten Commandments, He did so with very strong language:
     “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6 emphasis added
Yahweh says to His chosen people that to carve an image and bow down to it was the same as hating Him. With each individual or family that made that choice came serious consequences—the iniquity being visited on the third and fourth generations. God further drives home the point through the juxtaposition of what happens to those who do not practice idolatry; showing steadfast love to thousands (of generations) of those who love Him and keep his commandments. It seems that the choice would be easy to make; four generations of curses or one-thousand generations of blessing. Yet somehow, generation after generation the Israelites chose idolatry.

Let us fast-forward through many generations of Israelites—some following God, some not—and we find Luke recounting the words of Jesus after the death of the latter. Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26 emphasis added). For clarity sake, Jesus was not saying that a person needed to actually hate father and mother. He was using hyperbole to illustrate that the amount of love one was required to have to follow Him compared to the amount of love one had for a family member would have to feel like hate for the person to be successful. Suffice it to say, Jesus was aware of the Ten Commandments—He lived by them; He wrote them.

I believe there is a connection between these two passages. Both the Old and New Testament passages are addressing idolatry. To hold idolatry in the heart, the OT says, is hate toward God. In the NT, Jesus says it will require a love for Him so strong, it will feel like hate for one’s family in order to overcome idolatry. This is a hard truth. The feeling I get when I read this reminds me of the passage when Jesus started telling his followers to eat His flesh and drink His blood. His disciples replied with, “this is a hard saying.” Yet the faithful among them understood that Christ alone spoke the words of Truth. For many, the love of family has become idolatry—holding them in place when the Lord is beckoning them forward. But God accounted for this, too.

In the final verses of the book of Malachi, the Spirit speaks through the prophet:
     “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6
God made provision for the reconciliation of families. The final prophetic word from Heaven before God went silent for 400 years was about reconciling families. This must mean God takes it very seriously if it is last thing He says before sealing up the Heavens until Zechariah’s encounter. God knew the pain of leaving a family member to see His purposing accomplished on the Earth—remember John 3:16? God knew the agony of a turning of the heart for the advancement of all Creation. We must be willing to accept the rending of Luke 14 to walk in the reconciliation of Malachi 4. When we refuse to do so, we are simply endeavoring to finish in the flesh what was begun in the Spirit. Perhaps the great prayer need of the hour is for each called person to be willing to walk away from idolatry in order to walk fully in what God has purposed over their respective lives. In doing so, each of these people will also begin to answer the prayer of all creation for the revealing of the sons of God and position themselves for the greatest reconciliation that will ever be.

Author: Spencer Lloyd

Some months ago as I was reading through Amos, this verse jumped out at me. I was pondering why desiring the day of the Lord would elicit a ‘woe’ from the prophet Amos. Isn’t calling for the day of the Lord a good thing? As I continued reading I found a portion of the answer in verse 24. The prophet is speaking the words of the Lord when he says, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

If the day of the Lord came before the appointed time, the church would experience the justice of God without the fullness of the prayers of His saints being manifest. If the prophet Amos, is rebuking people for attempting to call forth the day of the Lord, that seems to suggest that it could be done. Amos is stepping in, as prophets often do, and expressing the heart of the Father—do not call for my day of reckoning because you are not yet ready for that encounter.

In John’s Revelation of the Christ, we are presented with this beautiful picture of the prayers of the Saints filling bowls around the throne of God (Rev. 5:8). Later in the book, John’s encounter indicates that the prayers must be poured out before the seven seals are opened.

Consider the following progression. The day of the Lord is the opening of the seven seals. The prayers of the Saints must be poured out before the seals are opened. A prayer-less church calling for the day of the Lord deserves to be rebuked by God’s prophets. It is not God’s will that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). There WILL be a day when that happens. The book of Revelation makes it clear that the final act of the church, the Bride, is to stand with the Spirit and say, “Come, Lord Jesus, come” (Rev. 22:17). I believe that will be the prayer that causes the overflow of the bowls before the Throne and sets into motion the events of the day of the Lord.

Before we get there, the world must experience a praying church. We must be a praying church. If you look around and are displeased with what you see; pray. If the events of the global political arena cause you anxiety; pray. If you have ever believed for a moment that the world is “going to Hell in a hand basket;” stop what you are doing, repent and pray.

Jesus said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” The success of the church today will not be determined by outreaches, by performances, or by preaching. In fact these things have made us feel comfortable, but God never called us to be comfortable. He called us to follow Jesus, no matter the cost. These things have been the very things that have made us at ease in Zion.

The success of God’s true church, the Bride of Christ, will be determined by the prayer life of the church. Let us be quick to examine our hearts and be honest with ourselves, before the Lord, and respond accordingly if our individual and corporate prayer lives have not been what they should be. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to a place of authentic repentance where the work of the cross can be complete and we can properly align ourselves with the purposing of God over us—praying for His Kingdom to come on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Author: Aaron Simms

These are words the Lord spoke to me during a church meeting just last week. I immediately began to ponder what they meant in that moment, and it just kept getting deeper and simpler to me at the same time. The fear of man is….arrogance. It is vanity, in light of eternity. What would it be like to be thrust into heaven, into the presence of the Lord Almighty, before His throne? What would it be to witness the twenty-four elders casting their crowns, and the living creatures crying “Holy, Holy, Holy!”? What would hearing the new song of the Elders while observing the golden bowls full of incense (our prayers) be like? I don’t know exactly, but we can get an idea by taking a humble look at Revelation chapters four and five in God’s word. I haven’t even gotten to the Lamb (our Lord Jesus) standing, worthy and able to open the book, when no other being in existence was found worthy. It takes the breath away to ponder this scene. In this context, try to imagine yourself there as an invited guest, or better yet, a humble, unprofitable servant—but invited nonetheless.

Now imagine you’re not the only invited guest. And imagine somehow being concerned with what another guest thinks of what you are saying or thinking in that moment. If possible, imagine being more concerned with their opinion in that moment, than the Lamb’s opinion, or the One who sits on the throne. Imagine Moses being concerned with how Miriam thought he looked as He approached the Lord. It sounds ludicrous to say out loud.

As we assemble according to God’s Word (Heb. 10:25), it is good to consider these things. If I am rightly fearing the Lord and not fearing those in the meeting, this will govern my motives for my words and actions. If I am fearing man, I will begin to speak to impress others, or act to please man and not God. Religion performs to avoid disapproval. May we not be performers, but lovers of God and of each other. I pray that our relationships with God and with each other won’t have to change much (if any) when He comes again! May we fear God always.

Author: Aaron Simms

I was on a mission trip some years ago in Mexico, in a very poor area where we had the privilege of feeding and clothing people and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was hot work feeding many people after preparing meals throughout the day. One evening, we were in a place where the electricity was non-existent, and the only light to see to distribute meals was the headlights of our vehicles. That particular evening, we had been distributing clothing, including winter jackets and coats. Inexplicably, there was a cold snap, and I was wearing the same clothes I had been wearing in the heat of the day--just a t-shirt and jeans. I’ve never forgotten that a young man about my size, who we had given a coat to, saw me shivering as we were working. He approached me and offered me the coat off of his back (that he had just received shortly before)-willing to be cold so that I wouldn’t be. These people lived in the middle of the city dump, their houses literally built out of what others had thrown away and he was offering me the coat off of his back. That was a young man, in his poverty, who was not serving wealth. (It may please you to know he remained warm, after all, and all felt loved! Praise the Lord!)

Why am I telling that story now? This morning I was pondering Matthew 6:24, and this story came to me, and I was reviewing how that young man had it right.  I believe that the Church has often suffered lack because of our idolatry, specifically “serving wealth” as Jesus said. If we have been more concerned with what we have (or don’t have) than with Jesus Christ and His glory, then there has been an imbalance that needs to be repented of and corrected. 

I believe that the Lord desires a church that can be blessed financially, without losing our intimacy with Him. I could ask hard questions now of each church leader, or of myself, but I’ll say it this way: My first thought shouldn’t be “what do I get out of it?” when the Lord provides for His church or His people. Rather, I should be happy that He has blessed my neighbor, whoever they may be! The Lord wants His church free from the love of money, and full of love for Him and each other! I would encourage anyone reading this to seek the Lord, to examine themselves, and let the Lord reveal if there is any idolatry of money in their hearts or in our church bodies. Please pray for your leaders--that they be free from the love of money, and that they each have a heart like that young man, who was willing to give the coat off of his back, because of the love of God. 

God’s arm is not short to provide, and His bank account has never been overdrawn. We simply cannot worship money in the church of the living God, but God alone. If we have all the faith to pray in every dime the Church needs to meet every need, but we worship the dimes, what are we left with? God has been merciful to leave us trusting many times, so that we can learn to trust Him alone, and worship Him alone. The Church that worships Him alone can be trusted with much. May we all repent where we’ve tried to serve God and money. May we glorify God with our finances in the Church always. The Lord bless you all.

Author: Spencer Lloyd

If 2020 taught us nothing else, it taught us that most everyone has an opinion and most everyone who has an opinion believes theirs to be right. Unfortunately, when I consider a thought like this, I am reminded of a saying from high school, “opinions are like armpits, everyone’s got them, and they all stink.” If that old quote seems offensive to you, it could be that this blog post is the antidote needed to soothe the sting.

In the last 18 to 24 months, humanity has witnessed any number of causes to rally behind, and the purpose of this blog post is not to support or condemn any of them, overtly. However, it is the point to offer the only lasting cause to rally behind—the true Gospel. I qualify with ‘true’ because all of these other causes being propagated on the Earth now are being put forth as an archetype of the Gospel that will bring reconciliation and redemption to certain portions of mankind. The problem is that they won’t. No matter how noble a cause may seem, it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And only the Gospel of Jesus Christ will truly bring redemption and reconciliation to all of humanity. In fact, unless a cause is bringing reconciliation to ALL of humanity, is it actually bringing reconciliation; can it really be redemptive? Only the Gospel can make such a claim.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6-7). These words could have been written to the Church today. The Gospel seems to have lost its pizazz to the 21st Century church. Evidently, salvation for all humanity is not compassionate or inclusive enough to keep relevance. Today, much of the Church has turned to another gospel that looks like man trying to solve the problems everywhere he looks. Hear me, I am not saying the Church should not be involved in solving the erroneous affairs of men, but I am saying Paul could as easily write to us also what he wrote in the third chapter of Galatians, “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” The Gospel is the whole answer. It is the only answer.

The fact is that all these answers the Church and those outside of the Church are producing to ‘solve’ our problems are just manifestations of Romans chapter eight:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:18-23 ESV

All of the causes, movements, and organizations are just manifestations of the preceding passage of Scripture. All creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God—this is the redeemed walking in the fullness of the Gospel. Creation was taken hostage, and it has had enough. All creation is inclusive of all of humanity, including and especially unredeemed humanity. The parades, the marches, the banners, the soapboxes, all of it is creation groaning for Christ’s glorious church to be revealed as who She really is. Paul even accounts for the continuing in the flesh that was begun in the Spirit that he addressed to the Galatians when he writes in this Romans passage that “not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly.” That groaning has looked like failed attempts at reconciling creation to Christ. But all those attempts will fail—every single time. Trying to solve problems outside of God’s plans has been happening since Jesus walked the Earth. The Sons of Thunder did as much when they were ready to call down fire on a town that did not receive Jesus. The same spirit is in operation when we are endeavoring to establish the Kingdom apart from the King’s perfect plans.

The correct response when injustice is revealed in society is to lean into the heart of the Father and ask Him what the solution is. We have the promise in Scripture that He will answer us:

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12 ESV

The answer is simple. This does not mean it will always be easy, but it is simple. We must stay connected to the Heart of the Father, through the connection provided by the Holy Spirit, paid for with the blood of Jesus. When we do this together as a unified body, we will be unstoppable. Only then will the prayer that Jesus uttered in the garden of Gethsemane be answered, and only then will we see His Kingdom come on Earth as is in Heaven.

There are many important themes that can be traced all through God’s narrative since the first century church. Perhaps the most important is the truth that God’s name will be glorified. Unequivocally, without repentance, uncompromisingly, God’s name will be glorified.

As we know, God’s cosmic story did not play out the way He desired and Israel was bent on getting glory for themselves. The Lord looked at this and saw destruction as a possible way to break the will His obstinate people. Ultimately, God allowed it to happen because He said it would—God’s word will be fulfilled; however, time after time, as God ordained an outside nation to bring judgment and discipline upon His chosen people pride remained in the midst. 

Fast-forward with me now to the book of Ezekiel. In chapters 25-31, God has His prophet pronounce judgment over all the nations that rose up against Israel. These were the very same nations that God, Himself, caused to rise against His chosen people. It could be that if you are anything like me, you may be wondering why God is pronouncing judgment against nations that did what He empowered them to do. I propose to you that the answer is rather simple: even in the defeat of His chosen people His name must be praised. Remember, God allowed the destruction and devastation of His people for His namesake—He said it would happen if His people would not follow His ways. In their glory over God’s chosen people, they refused to turn that glory to God—they received the fullness of their reward in the trinkets they plundered, the wives they captured, the vineyards they pillaged, and livestock they slaughtered and filled their bellies with.

Jesus illustrates this concept differently in Matthew, chapter six. Just before Jesus begins teaching his disciples how to pray he gives them instruction about being generous, but doing it quietly. “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” Jesus continues, “so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:3, ESV). It is no accident that the very next instruction Jesus gives is about prayer. Jesus instructs His disciples—this includes us—“when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matt. 6:5, ESV). Jesus then makes the same point about prayer that He does about giving to the poor—what you do in secret, the Father will reward.

Over the past few months I have watched as the body of Christ has coalesced in unity, but in unity unto prayer so that when the answer comes, we will not be able to point to one person and say, the breakthrough came when so and so prayed. Because that's not the point. And as much as every single one of us would love to think, ‘well, I could pray that prayer and see the breakthrough come and not be proud.’ The Lord really knows what's in our hearts. And He would much rather it happen anonymously. Because it's much easier for us corporately to give Him glory when we can't point at one person. And when the breakthrough comes, it comes for His namesake.

The working of unity in the Body of Christ can be likened unto Israel responding rightly and following whole-heartedly after God in response to one of the foreign nations invading and destroying them. Honestly, the unity of Christ’s church today is a greater miracle. Not only that, it is fulfillment of what Jesus prayed in the Garden, “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that they world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21, ESV). As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus continues, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one” (vs. 22-23a). Track with me. God’s name must be glorified. Jesus tells the Father that the glory He (the Father) has given Jesus, Jesus is giving us! Why? Jesus tell us, “that they may be one even as we are one.” The glory that God requires will come as we move in unity and unity continues to come as we walk in the glory that Jesus gave us. The glory and unity are one! 

Praying and giving in secret is not just about being anonymous, it is about God being glorified. Remember, Jesus told us as we do these things in secret, the Father will reward. I believe as we move in ‘secret’ we are moving in unity. As we move in unity, the glory of the Father is being revealed. As the glory of the Father is being revealed His kingdom is made manifest on Earth as it is in Heaven, and that is exactly what Jesus taught us to pray.

I was on a mission trip some years ago and gave a coat to a young man who didn’t have much of anything. Later that evening, after a hot day, there was a cold snap and I was shivering. That same young man saw me, among all of the people, and offered me his coat-the same one I had given him earlier. He was preaching the gospel better than I was that day.  Matthew 6:24, Mark 12:31

P.S. He kept the coat, but I still remember him after all these years.

“Shall be.” Those are powerful words from our Lord. Do we consider ourselves, and our churches, to be houses of prayer? Do we identify as houses of prayer when we consider ourselves, and consider our corporate calling together? My simple question to all of us today, is if the Father’s house shall be a house of prayer, and we cannot identify as one individually or corporately….are we His house? Are my home and my church a place where the Lord can lay His head to rest? Greater men than me have often repented of their prayerlessness. Today I am doing the same. I want my home and church to be a house of prayer. I want to see God move and answer believing-prayer. May the Church pray like our Lord Jesus.

To ministers and leaders, I want to share a quote from one of the great writers on prayer.

I know much has to--much must--be done in our ministries. People need us, God has called us! We have important work to do. All of this is true, but all eternal work we want to do and see done will be done in answer to believing-prayer. If you have one activity in the church, let it be prayer. If something has to be taken off the schedule, let it not be the prayer meeting. If there isn’t a prayer meeting on the schedule, dear pastor, lovingly burn that schedule and open the rusty hinges on the door to the prayer closet and the prayer room!

Leaders, if we are not a house of prayer….then we are the ones allowing merchandise to be carried through the temple. Without prayer, we are the ones making merchandise of people in the Church (2 Peter 2:3 KJV). What is all of our ministry for if it is not bathed in prayer and led by the Spirit? There is much that could be said here on the calling, effects, and purposes of prayer, but I will not ramble on. The Scripture defends itself nicely concerning prayer, and Jesus Christ commands it. May we repent if we’ve been too idle or busy to pray as we ought. To all of you, I repent if I have not prayed for you like I ought. May the Lord bless, strengthen, lift, and encourage each one of you today in your walk with Him, and in your fellowship with one another.

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