Author: Mojo Ministries

When I was attending Bible College years ago, my Homiletic’s professor made a statement that I have chewed on over the years.  He said, “If we’re not careful, our tendency is to sometimes take ourselves out of the Bible stories.”  What that means to me is this – sometimes, because we’ve become so familiar with some of the stories of the Bible, they have simply become “just stories in the Bible” and we tend to forget that they were just people, like you and I are people today.

• They had emotions and feelings back then, just like you and I have emotions and feelings today;
• They had trials of their faith back then, just like we have trials of our faith today;
• They battled their sin nature back then, just like you and I battle our sin nature today;
• They had times of failure, just like you and I have failures;
• They had moments of anger, just like you and I have moments of anger;
• They had moments of great joy, just like you and I have moments of great joy;
• They had some mountaintop experiences, just like you and I have had some mountaintop experiences;
• They spent time in the valley, just like and I have spent time in the valley.

 I say all of that to say this, when we read the stories in the Bible, whether they are about Joseph,, or David, or Peter, or Paul, our tendency is to say, “Well they’re just different than us.”  And the truth is, they’re not.

Consider these  verses from Genesis 39.  Beginning in verse 20, “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. ²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. ²³ The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.”

So here is Joseph, he’s been thrown into prison, yet verse 21 and 23 say, “The LORD was with him . . .”  These verses also tell us the LORD “shewed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”  So much so, that the keeper of prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners in the prison.  Nothing happened in prison without Joseph’s approval. 

It is easy to look at these verses and say, “Well Joseph was just different than us.”  Yet, can I remind you that the same LORD that was with Joseph is the same LORD that is with you and I today.  And over and over again He has shown us mercy and He has shown us favor, and many times He has shown us favor in the sight of our “keeper of the prison,” whether that prison be the prison of shame or failure, the prison of addiction, the prison of some horrible disease like  cancer, or the prison of divorce or a broken home.  Over and over again He has shown us mercy and favor.  Don’t forget folks, when you are reading the Bible, don’t just read the “stories” of the people back then, but own those Scriptures in your personal life. 

On this pilgrimage of life, as we journey from the cradle to the grave, our task as a Christian should be to glorify God.  Paul said, “…Of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities” (2 Corinthians 12:5).  Even in our sickness, we should glorify God.  I pray that through these meager words, that God will open our minds and touch our hearts.  I am praying the Lord will lead us from the dungeons of darkness and doubt unto the marvelous light of confidence and conquest.  There are no impossibilities with the Lord, for He can never fail. He stood by the golden gate of eternity and shouted His triumph, “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18).  Even in the midst of trials and troubles, we are not to question, but glorify God.

So how do we turn a tragedy into a triumph? How do we turn every Calvary into an Easter? How do we turn a minus into a plus?  I believe it can be done, and suffering, sorrow, trouble and tragedy are the raw materials out of from which we, as believers, can weave a garment of praise for the glory of God.  The greatest opportunity you will ever have to glorify God will be in your hour of stress and storm.

God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God is working on a different thought level. At best, our understanding is fragmentary and finite. We can only see through a glass darkly.  We make mistakes and view life with a narrow vision, while God looks from a different vantage point.  He knows the end from the beginning.  In the very beginning, God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth.  It was corrupt and filled with violence.  

Do you know why? God said, “…Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). It says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Isaiah 55:7 tells us, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts…” In Psalm 139:23, David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts….”  The apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that he was serving the Lord with all “humility of mind” (read Acts 20:19).  He told the church at Corinth to have “a willing mind” and “a ready mind.” He beseeched the brethren in Rome to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world, but to be transformed by “the renewing of your mind” (read Romans 12:1-2). What was Paul saying?  “Get your mind out of the gutter!”  One look at our world and it is evident we have come a long way in many areas.  We can put Rovers on Mars to study if there are any signs of life.  At the same time we are killing innocent life here daily.  Danger stalks our land! Fear grips our heart! Satan battles for the minds of men and women.

Folks, we need to get back to seeing what Isaiah saw when he saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up …”  And when he did, he said, “woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Then when the Lord said, “…Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah had no problem responded, “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

 A great evangelist once asked, “Have we ceased to believe in the power of the Gospel?  Have we forgotten there is a power that can change the minds and the hearts of men?  There is a power that can make our enemies footstools. There is a power that can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.  There is a power that can turn harlots into missionaries.  There is a power that can turn cursing men into Gospel preachers.  There is a power that can open Red Seas.  There is a power that can furnish manna from on high.  There is a power that can confound the enemy on the battlefield.  There is a power that can feed 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch.  That power is available to us. For He who has called us and sends us, has not, and will not leave us nor forsake us.” He promises that, as we go, there will be strength for the day, and courage for the battle.   

Heavenly Father, I have to pray just as Isaiah prayed, “Woe is me, for I am undone.  I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips.”  So LORD, when it comes to me, I WILL NOT GLORY in myself, or my talents, or my abilities, but I will glorify in You, even in my infirmities.  I praise You and exhalt You, because You and You alone are worthy!  In Jesus Name.  

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Tim. 3:16-17)

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (II Peter 1:21)

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (I Peter 1:23)

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

No wonder the Psalmist said, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalms 119:89).  And may I add that it is settled here on earth as well.

And that is why daily we are to be “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”  (Philippians 2:16).

What a privilege you and I have to hold in our hands the very breathe of God. God only wrote one Book – and what a book it is.

• It is a Book of Prominence – being widely and favorably known;
• It is a Book of Promise – a promise to never leave us or forsake, a promise to lift us and forgive us when we’ve fallen, a promise to strengthen us in times of weakness, a promise of hope when everything looks hopeless, a promise to do the impossible when everything looks impossible, and a promise to save (these are just a few of the many promises in God’s Word)
• It is a Book of Power – God didn’t give us the spirit of fear – but of power! The power to stand on our faith, the power to witness for Christ. The Greek word used for power is dunamis, which we translate as D-Y-N-A-M-I-T-E. Aren’t you glad God’s Word has the power to blow some people right into the Kingdom of God?
• But mostly, it is the Book of a Person – from Genesis to Revelation, we are introduced to the Lamb of God that would forgive our sins and heal our land.

Though the cover is worn and the pages are torn and places bear traces of tears, yet more precious than gold is this Book worn and old that can shatter and scatter my fears. This old Book is my guide, It’s a friend by my side that can lighten and brighten my way. And each promise I find soothes and gladdens my mind as I read it and heed it each day.

I’m glad that God’s Word is enough!

Beginning in Ecclesiastes 4, “⁹ Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? ¹² And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him;  (Now look at this famous words from Soloman) and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Eccl. 4 is written in the context of friendship.  We know that one strand on its own is easily broken.  Even two strands are somewhat easily broken – but three strands is very difficult to break.  Why, because there is a synergy in that bonding together, that weaving together.  I don’t know that you can find a better description of true friendship than these verses here.  One of the greatest joys of being a Christian are the friendships that cross our paths on this life’s journey.  Outside of our families, these friendships should be the most faithful friendships of all. 

I believe that God has given us the local church so that we can develop these connections, these intertwined relationships that are woven together in an unbreakable bond.  Hermit relationships, or solo relationships within the church are just not fruit bearing.  From a Biblical perspective, I would venture to say that God intended for people to invade our worlds.   God intended for you and I to open up our circle – and not just to allow other people in, but even to bring other people in. 

In the New Testament alone, the term “one another” is used 100 times.  59 of those times specifically deals with the relationship we are to have with “one another.” Here are a few of those: 

• We are to love one another;

• We are to be devoted to one another

• We are to honor one another above ourselves

• We are to live in harmony with one another

• We are to edify (build up) one another

• We are to be like-minded with one another (walk a mile in their shoes)

• We are to accept one another (yes, with all of their flaws, with all of their baggage)

• We are to admonish one another (verbally challenge and encourage one another)

• We are to greet one another (verbally hug one another)

• We are to care for one another

• We are to serve one another

• We are to bear one another’s burdens

• We are to forgive one another

• We are to be patient with one another

• We are to speak truth in love to one another

• We are to be kind and compassionate toward one another

• We are to speak to one another with Psalms, and hymns and Spiritual songs.

• We are to submit to one another

• We are to bear one another

• We are to comfort one another

• We are to teach one another

• We are to encourage one another

• We are to stir up good works in one another

• We are to employ our gifts for the benefit of one another

• We are to clothe ourselves in humility toward one another

• We are to pray for one another

• We confess our faults to one another

• We are not to lie or be dishonest with one another

• We are to stop passing judgement on one another

• We are not to provoke or envy one another

• We are not to slander one another

• We are not to grumble or complain against one another

You and I as the body of Christ are joined together in one body.  We are brothers and sisters.  The purpose of the church is to raise up and show the world what one body looks like.  So, the simple truth is, we need one another.  “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Prov. 18:24)

To those who follow me, my apologies for not writing in several weeks. I have been heavily involved in curriculum development for a Bible Institute that I will be very excited to share information about in the very near future.

Acts chapter 20, beginning in verse 7, the Breathe of God says, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. ⁸ And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. ⁹ And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. ¹⁰ And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. ¹¹ When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. ¹² And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.”

I find this story about Euthychus to be quite interesting (and in certain points, humorous). Let me explain. We find in this story that this man Euthycus fell asleep and fell 3 stories to his death. There are a number of reasons this could have happened:

1. He could have fallen asleep because of the lengthy sermon. In fact, one translation said that Paul preached on and on and on. Sounds like many of our church folk today complaining about long winded sermons.
2. He could have fallen asleep because there were lot’s of lights. Just imagine you are sitting in church, the heat is at that right temperature, the sun is shining through the stain glassed windows and your eyes are getting heavier and heavier.
3. Maybe this young man had a long day. Maybe he either worked the sheep or worked the farm, or worked in the carpenter shop. Now he is at the assembly of God’s people and the preacher is preaching on and on and on.

Though I don’t know exactly what caused this young man drift off to sleep and fall, what I do know is that he fell and he died. That word “dead” in verse 9 is translated to mean “corpse.” In other words, he was stone cold, graveyard dead.

I’m afraid there are many people in our churches today that have fallen asleep for whatever reason – but that is a message for another time – just throwing that out there as food-for-thought.

I would like to focus on these words in verse 11 “. . . come up again. . .” The truth is, as we are all humans, I don’t know anyone that hasn’t fallen. I know plenty of people that believe they haven’t fallen, but the Bible says, “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” But I am thankful today that God has a Plan for Recovery, for Revival, and for Redemption. God has made a way that we can “come up again.”

History is full of people that have fallen, yet were able to get back up:

1. Do you know that Albert Einstein was four years old before he ever spoke his first words. He also failed his first college entrance exam – yet got back up and became one of the greatest scientist in the world.
2. Henry Ford’s first company bankrupted, yet he got back up and his vehicles are probably some of the best in the world.
3. Milton Hershey had three candy company’s that were a complete failure, yet he got back up and now his chocolate bars arguably some of the best in the world.
4. Harlan Sanders, at the age of 62, with only $105 dollars social security check to his name, and after being turned down hundreds of times, but he got back up and every preacher says, “Thank God for Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

What I know about everyone of us, is that at times, we feel like we’ve fallen and can’t get back up. But, with the grace and power of God, we can “come up again.”

Euthycus fell asleep, and because he fell asleep, he fell to his death. Interestingly enough, Euthycus was able to “come up again” under the power of God. So that brings up this thought – why did God allow him to “come up again?” I don’t think God does anything without a reason. So I think there are two reasons God allowed Euthycus to get back up:

1. He allowed him to “come up again” to Authenticate His Divinity. God can use anyone, or anything, at anytime or anywhere. Anytime He wants to, He can show His Divinity and accomplish His will. He used a Burning Bush to Communicate His will to Moses; He used fire from Heaven for Elijah on Mt. Carmel; He used a stone and a slingshot for David; He used an earthquake to communicate His Divinity to Paul and Silas in a Roman prison; He used a donkey for Balaam; So I’m glad that if God can use a burning bush, or a fire, or a slingshot, and earthquake and even a donkey – God can use me – and He can use you to communicate the authenticity of His Divinity.
2. He allowed him to “come up again” to Abolish the Doubters. Verse 10 says, “Paul went down and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.” Now, there were spectators there that had been there the entire time. Some of them saw that this young man was dead and so as far as they were concerned – that was it for him, that was the end of the road. The world’s view is this – after you observe something for a certain period of time – you can take it as fact. For instance, the world sees someone that was born on the “wrong side of the tracks,” and as far as the world is concerned, that person will always be from the wrong side of the tracks. The world will see someone who has had an addiction, and as far as they are concerned, that person will always be an addict. The world may see someone who once lived a vibrant life for Christ fall into sin, and as far as they are concerned, you will always be “that fallen Christian.” So the world may look at you and accept your predicament as fact.

Here are some facts for you out of this Scripture: This young man fell and he died. That is a fact. But aren’t you glad that when it comes to God, facts are not final? The world would say that Abraham and Sara couldn’t have a child. The world would say that you couldn’t cross the Red Sea on dry ground, or eat manna from heaven, or get water out of a rock. The world would say that once you’ve been dead and buried for three days, you couldn’t get back up again, but aren’t you glad that God can abolish the doubters? I don’t care where you are, or how far you think you’ve fallen, brothers and sisters in Christ you can always “come up again.”

In Acts chapter 1 and verse 8, just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he said to His disciples, His followers, His closest allies, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“

In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John are being commanded by the religious “right” not to ever speak again in the name of Jesus.  I love their simple, yet profound, answer, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  As a direct result of their boldness and faithfulness, a multitude believed.  Then in Acts 5, after a great multitude believed and after miracles were performed, the Bible says that the high priest and Sadducees rose up with indignation, laid hands on them and had Peter and John thrown in Prison.  However, God wasn’t having any of that and immediately sent His angel to open the prison cell and set them free. 

If you thought the religious crowd was mad before, they are fuming now.  I believe if they themselves were not in fear of their own lives, they would have immediately put Peter and John to death.  But, they brought them in for questioning, saying, “Didn’t we tell you not to speak in the name of Jesus ever again?”  I love Peter’s answer beginning in verse 29, “We ought to obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. ³¹ Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”

Now stay with me as I promise we are going somewhere!

At the end of Acts chapter 21, the crowd Paul was speaking to tried to kill him, but he was saved by the Roman Centurion and his soldiers.  Then in Acts 22, Paul begins giving his personal testimony.  As part of that testimony, he tells the story of how he had lost his sight on the road to Damascus.  He tells of how Ananias came to him and said in verse 13, “Brother Saul , receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. ¹⁴ And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. ¹⁵ For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.”

As I read this passage, these words just kept jumping off the pages at me – “WITNESSES UNTO ME” (in the case of all those who witnessed His resurrection), “HIS WITNESSES” (in the case of Peter and John) or “HIS WITNESS” (in the case of Paul).  What do they all have in common?  They were all chosen by Christ Himself.  Jesus did not choose Peter and John to save them from a life of fishing, he chose them to be HIS WITNESSES.  Paul was not chosen on the Damascus Road to become the great High Priest – he was chosen  to be HIS WITNESS.  And what a witness he was.  But that witness was not to end with them, but is to live on in the hearts of every believer.  You and I have not been chosen to sit around on our religious laurels, we have not been chosen to be judgmental, we have not been chosen to be self-righteous – we have simply been chosen one reason and one reason only – to be HIS WITNESSES.

But, we have to realize that if we are going to be HIS WITNESSES, we first have to “see and hear” ourselves.  We can’t be a witness to something we are clueless about.  In order to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ, you have to have a personal relationship.  You have to understand where He has brought you from, and what He has brought you out of.  It has to be personal.  I can’t be a witness of what Christ has done in the heart of Peter, or John or Paul – I can only be a witness of what He has done in my heart.  I can “only speak the things which I have seen and heard.”

To be HIS WITNESS means exactly that.  We are not chosen to be witnesses of how great we are, or what great things we’ve done, or how robust our programs are, or how talented our singers are, or even how great our preaching is (in the case of us preachers), we are called to be HIS WITNESSES – Period!

If we are going to be HIS WITNESSES, who are we to witness to?  Our witness can’t be to a select few that fit the bill of what “we” are looking for in our churches.  It is not simply for those we perceive have a lot of money (though they are certainly included).  It is for both the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the sick and the healthy, married, single and the divorced.  We are to be HIS WITNESSES to WHOSOEVER WILL. The same calling that Peter, and John and Paul had over 2000 years ago is the same calling that you and I have today.  Isaiah 43:10 says, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”

 

 

 

Genesis 35, beginning in verse 1, the Bible says, “And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. ² Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: ³ And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. ⁴ And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. ⁵ And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. ⁶ So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. ⁷ And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.“

As I was reading this passage of Scripture, my mind (and thoughts) kept going back to verse 1, “. . . Arise, go up to Bethel, make there and altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.”  The thought occurred to me that this wasn’t the first time Jacob had been to Bethel – he had been there before.  Apparently, just as God did with Noah and humanity, and just as He did for us with His “Only Begotten Son,” God gave Jacob the opportunity to hit the “reset button” in his life.

Why do pencils come with erasers?  Because EVERYONE makes mistakes writing or drawing.  Erasers give you the chance to hit the “reset button.”  Do you remember “back-in-the-day” when we had VHS tapes? When you rented them, before you turned them back in, you had to rewind them or be charged a fee.  It is amazing the technology we have today that allows us to hit the reset button at anytime on our electronic gadgets.  On my smart TV, I can hit the rewind or even the rest buttons even during a live show.  How awesome is that?

You know what is even more awesome, the fact that God has given us the ability to hit the reset button in our lives.  Maybe you are having problems in a relationship.  I have someone close to me whose marital relationship was hit with a bombshell.  My friend, Scripturally, could have walked away from that relationship, but instead, he looked at himself, realized it takes two to make a relationship work, and asked God to give him a “reset” on his marriage.  Folks, it’s OK to hit the reset button.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been struggling with my health (several broken bones, blood clots), and gaining a little more weight than I would have liked.  So, my wife (bless her heart), knowing I can’t resist a challenge, signed us up to run a Spartan Race (you can’t even imagine the shock on my face).  My wife, realized that if we continued down the road we were going, we wouldn’t be around to see our 10 grandchildren grow up, so she hit the “reset button” on our health.  For the past 3 weeks, we have gone to a complete plant-based diet and are exercising every day.  Feeling the challenge himself, my son Joshua is exercising daily with us, and we are now running the Spartan race as a team, and more importantly, as a family.  Folks, it’s OK to hit the reset button.

Recently, our family has left the ministry we’ve been involved with for 3 years.  We left the church we loved, the friends we’ve grown to love, and I’ll tell you, it’s been very difficult, and at times very painful.  But you know what?  God didn’t tell us that the journey to get to the place He wants us to be, the place that He has espied for us, the place that He knows He can best use us, our talents and our abilities, would be easy or pain-free.  So I am extremely grateful that God gives us the ability to hit the “reset button.”

Father, this morning, there may be someone reading this blog that desperately needs to hit the “reset button” in their life, maybe it is concerning a relationship, or a personal failure, possibly their health or even their relationship with a church.  Father would you give them the opportunity to hit the “reset button” and start over!  Thank you for always being there for me and for always allowing me to hit that button.  We love you and we praise you, in Jesus Name – AMEN!

 

“19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.  20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.  22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.  23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.  24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” (Acts 11:19-24)

Here in Acts chapter 11, the Christians have begun to disperse after the stoning of Stephen.  And as they go, they go preaching and teaching the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible says in verse 21, “The hand of the Lord was with them.”  And in fact, the Bible records for us that “a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”

So, word of their success comes back to the Mother Church in Jerusalem, so they decide to check it out.  They send Barnabas, one of the early church leaders as far as Antioch to see what is going on, and then to come back and report his findings.  So, when he had gone as far as Antioch, the Bible says, “He came, and had seen the Grace of God.”  Right in the midst of heavy persecution on the church, right here in the middle of turmoil, the Bible says Barnabas saw “the grace of God.”  The Bible says that when he had seen God’s grace – HE WAS GLAD – He was happy.

Have you ever sat around and really thought about Grace?  I hope first off that you understand what God’s Grace means, and simply put, it is defined as “The unmerited favor of God.”  It is the gift of His Son Jesus Christ who died for us.  He who knew no sin became my sin.  It’s God’s unmerited favor – you can’t be good enough to deserve it and you can’t work hard enough to earn it.  Someone said the letters of GRACE stands for God’s Riches at Christ Expense.

I got to thinking about that and thinking about how great God’s Grace is.  And you know what?  We can’t even be saved apart from God’s Grace!  “For by grace are ye saved through faith . . .”

Though I can’t speak for you, I am grateful for the day when I was a little boy, that I came to my senses, I went running slap into the arms of God’s Amazing Grace.  And I’ll tell you folks, Grace will ALWAYS take you to Jesus!  And I’m so grateful that “where sin abounds, GRACE does much more abound.”

Verse 23 goes on to say something else that I really want to focus on for just a moment.  It goes on to say that after he had seen the grace of God and was glad, he “exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” He Exhorted Them, He comforted them, He encouraged them.

Barnabas’ name is translated as “son of consolation,” or “son of encouragement.”  What and honor to be recorded in the Bible for all eternity as Mr. Encouragement!  When Barnabas goes to God’s people and he sees what God is doing, when he sees the lives being saved, the Bible tells us that he “Exhorted them all.”

He was saying to them:  Whatever you’re doing – keep doing it; don’t stop; don’t get discouraged; just keep on keeping on! I’ll tell you what’s a shame, is for people to get saved at an early age, live 50-60 years as a Christian and never encourage one single person in the faith.  What a waste of a Christian life.

If this journey was all about the destination, why didn’t God just kill us when He saved us?    He didn’t because He wanted us to bring others into the family of God.  He wanted us to encourage one another along this life’s journey.  I don’t know about you, but some days, I just don’t need anybody to tell me what I’m doing wrong – the Holy Spirit does a pretty good job of doing that for me!  Some days I don’t need anybody telling me what I ought to be doing!  Some days I just need a handshake, or a hug around the neck and have somebody say, “I love you brother and I’m praying for you.”

I’m just saying that some days, when we’ve been with God and seen his Grace, we ought to want to be helpful to others.  Our problem is that we can’t get our eyes off ourselves, or off our problems or circumstances to see the needs of others.

• We get our eyes on stuff;
• On our problems;
• On our situations;
• On our circumstances.

We get so caught up in “our thing” that we can’t see the needs of others.  I pray to God that when I die, when they bury me in the ground, I pray somebody standing there around that grave can say, somehow, someway, that I encouraged them along their life’s journey.  I love this old song by General William Booth:

Others Lord, yes others, let this my motto be

Help me to live for others that I might live like Thee!

Heavenly Father, help me to get my eyes off of ME and keep my eyes on Jesus so that I can be a helper, and exhorter, and encourager to others, in Jesus Name – AMEN.

Off the coast of the South China Sea, on a large hill overlooking the Harbor, stands a large wall facing the harbor.  That wall is all that remains of a massive Cathedral that the Portuguese settlers had built on these hills hundreds of years prior.

A typhoon had come through this area and destroyed everything – it leveled everything – except this one section of wall facing the harbor.  And sitting on top of that wall, is a very large, bronze Cross.

In 1825, a songwriter by the name of John Bowring was sailing in a ship off that same coast when a storm struck the ship that he was on.  The ship became shipwrecked and torn to pieces.  John was thrown from the ship and found himself floating on a broken piece of wood.  He said he felt as though the next wave that crashed on him would be the last time he ever breathe on this earth.  But in the midst of that storm, John Bowring said he caught a glimpse of that Cross sitting on top of that hill, and it was like the Spirit of God had reassured him that he would be alright.  John Bowring was in fact rescued from those treacherous waters, and he was so moved by that experience that he penned the words to a poem entitled “In the Cross of Christ I glory.”

This poem may well have been the theme song for the Apostle Paul, who wrote in Galatians 6:14, “but God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now, if you do a little research, you will find the word “glory” mentioned over 400 times in the New Testament alone.  Throughout the Bible, we can see God’s Glory in Creation.

You see, years ago, God stepped from behind the curtain of nowhere, and stood upon the platform of nothing and spoke the world into existence.

And the Psalmist said in Ps. 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

Where Paul said, “God forbid that I should glory in anything except the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• We see the Glory of God in Creation.
• We see the Glory of God in Christ.
• We can see the Glory of God in the Church;
• And we see the Glory of God in the Cross.

Now you think about Paul – there’s a lot of things he could have boasted about, there’s a lot of things that happened that could have caused him to pat himself on the back.  In fact, Paul may well have been the greatest Christian that ever lived:

• He was a powerful preacher;
• He was a prolific author – having written over half the New Testament;
• He had the right pedigree – circumcised the 8^th day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews.

I mean, Paul was a religious thoroughbred – and had he remained a Pharisee, he would have no doubt been the High Priest among them.  If anybody could pat themselves on the back, it was the Apostle Paul.  But Paul tells us here, “I glory, I brag, I boast, in this one thing and this one thing only – THE CROSS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

• Paul’s Pride was limited to the Cross!
• Paul’s Praise was limited to the Cross!

In our day, when we think of a Cross, or when we are discussing the Cross with people, they typically think of a Jeweler – and the Cross as a piece of jewelry we wear around our necks or on a lapel.

But, in Paul’s day, when you thought of the Cross, you typically thought of a Jailer!  For in Paul’s day, the Cross was a cruel place, a place of harsh punishment and death.  The Cross was the cruelest form of death known to man.

I am afraid today that our Churches are cursed with a Cross-less Christianity.

• Our pulpits are filled with preachers that only want to preach “relevant” messages;
• They are filled with preachers who are teaching us that God wants to exalt us;
• Churches are teaching and preaching that God wants us to be prosperous;

We are hearing everything except what we need to hear.  The Bible says man’s problem is SIN!  And what man desperately needs is a good dose of the Cross of Jesus Christ.  What we need is to get back to the Cross of Jesus Christ.  It is not the job you have, or the car you drive, or the house you live in that is going to make the difference in your life or in the lives of those in your sphere of influence – it is the Cross of Jesus Christ that is going to make the difference.

Paul said, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

A dear friend of ours has a beautiful garden she’s planted.  There are multiple vegetables, as well as herbs and spices.  As we sat one day, drinking tea she had grown in her garden, she began sharing her heart with us about this garden,  She walked us around and showed us the various vegetables,  peppers, beans she had planted.  She showed us the various irrigation measures she (and her father) had put in.  She also shared with us how she thought squirrels had gotten into the garden, and showed us what she’d done to mitigate that risk.  One thing was vary apparent through this conversation – this garden, with all of it’s weeds, with all of it’s problems, with all of its burdens – was a labor of love.  Gardening is certainly no easy task, and at times is burdensome.  Since visiting her garden, this message has been developing in my head.

There were three times, at least, in the life of the Savior where He was under a tremendous burden. In the wilderness, He won the victory over Satan. On the cross, He won the victory over sin. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He won the battle over self-will.

Every time Jesus was faced with heavy burdens, He taught us what to do. However, this garden experience was unlike the prayers He prayed while being tempted in the wilderness, and even from the Cross.  In the wilderness, there is a devil you can see. At Calvary there is a cross you can see. However, in the garden, there is nothing visible. What a lesson for us all! Sometimes the enemy we face is evident. There are times we are fortunate enough to see trouble coming.  Often, our burdens take us with no warning at all. Personally, I have no problem dealing with the burdens I can see coming, but it’s quite another when I can’t see it, or pin point it, or even explain it.  Burdens are just as real when we can’t touch them or even put a name to them – like Cancer.   Look at Matthew 26:36-46 with me for a few minutes:

^“36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. ³⁷ And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. ³⁸ Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. ³⁹ And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. ⁴⁰ And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. ⁴² He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. ⁴³ And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”

Let me show you a few things I see

THE GRINDING IN THE GARDEN

The word Gethsemane means “oil press” or “olive press.” In this garden, the olives were placed onto the millstones to be crushed by the weight of the press to extract their oil. There were four different pressings of the olives.

• The first produced the oil used for holy things associated with the Temple;
• The second provided the oil for home cooking.
• The third pressing yielded oil for medicine.
• The last was used for soap, beauty aids or household applications.

In short, everything in the olive had to come out under the load of the press. Olive oil may only cost us a few dollars but it cost an olive everything that was in it!

We see the Burden upon the Savior in His sweating.

Luke records the account and says, ..his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:44).  What a strange place to bleed. In a beautiful garden the crimson color is no longer seen on the flowers but it now covers the ground. How awful that sight must have been to those who were with Jesus! It teaches us that sometimes we can have an ugly problem in a beautiful place. You go through life and just achieve what you always worked for only to face illness, pain or loss. The pressure can make us sweat but none of us have ever sweated like Jesus did in the garden.

We also see the burden in the separation by the Savior.

The disciples tarry at the appointed place but Jesus, “went a little farther, and fell on his face.” (vs. 39). He kept on going when those He loved had stopped. Burdens will drive us to a place where we feel others are not able to go.  There is a loneliness involved with real stress. There are some things that we must go through alone.

The burden is visible in the sleeping disciples.

Jesus leaves them and returns on three occasions only to find them asleep each time (vs. 40, 43, 45). What makes us keep going back to things that don’t work when we are under pressure? The results are the same, yet we still think our friends or family can help us somehow. We know only God knows and can give us relief.

Finally, you see the Burden in the seeking of the Savior.

The text teaches us that Jesus, “prayed the third time, saying the same Words” (vs. 44). You know it is real when you keep praying the same thing. The need is so great that all you can do is speak the same words over and over again. Nothing else matters and you must get an answer from God!  This is the Grinding in the Garden.  Now notice:

GRACE IN THE GARDEN

When Jesus came the third time and found the disciples still sleeping, He speaks to them and says, “Sleep on now”(vs. 45).

Something happened on His third trip in prayer. Nothing had changed concerning the will of the Father. The burden was still there but it just didn’t bother Him anymore.

When I read those words spoken by Jesus, I could not help but think of all the things that had bothered me so much throughout my life and ministry. It was a sudden reminder that there are some things we all just need to “put to bed”. 

• Things are not going to change. We just need to let it sleep and find peace in Him.
• When someone that you have depended on, has let you down, but don’t let bitterness grow in your heart.
• When disease comes and your spouse has lost their memory of your life together, don’t argue with the Lord about it.
• As you care for that child who is disabled, please don’t get angry with God.
• If a church has voted you out of your position , or broken your heart, don’t try to get even.

The best thing we can ever do with anything putting a burden or distress on us is to “put it to bed!”

How long will your burden continue? I am not able to answer that completely. I know Jesus prayed three times but He was the Christ! Paul prayed three times before he found His grace sufficient to overcome the thorn in his flesh – but he was an apostle. If they both prayed three times then we may have to intercede 300 times.  However, grace will come and it will be enough for you to “sleep on” and get rest over it.

There is one other thing that I must mention about this experience. Notice:

THE GARDENER IN THE GARDEN

Jesus goes from this garden and faces the cross. From Calvary, He is taken to a tomb. On the third day, Mary has come to see her Lord. When she looks in she sees two angels at the head and foot of where Jesus had laid. She turns aside and hears another voice of comfort. The voice of Jesus! The Bible then records that “She, supposing him to be the gardener”(John 20:15).

When He spoke her name, she knew it was Jesus! She thought Jesus was the Gardener because He was! He had cultivated the Garden of Gethsemane to give us hope in the hour of burdens in our life.

You may be going through one of the most difficult times ever. All hope is not gone. Others may not be able to lift the load. I just want to remind you during your time of heavy burdens, “This is only a test.” Jesus knows and understands so just keep saying the same words.  He has not forsaken you or lost sight of you.   The Gardener of Grace will give you all you need to get to the point where you can “put it to bed.”