How much do I have to put up with?

Matthew 18: 21-35

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

What do you think of Peter’s question, as a neighbor, a parent, a teacher, a business- person, have you ask the same question?  Did you do as Peter did, or did you ask someone who also has issues with the same person or persons, if you did they more than likely gave you council from a worldview, not the council that Jesus gave to Peter?  Now if you are listening to Channel 1, the (Deception Channel) it is going to ask some questions; Who is your brother, is Jesus referring to blood kin, or is He only referring to a fellow Christian, if so, how do you know that person qualifies, they do not act like a follower of Christ? 

Channel 2 is the channel you should be listening to; it tells you to love even your enemy, and to love your neighbor as your self.  It has the heart attitude of Christ who asks the

Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him, maybe it is time to look at what evil can come out of the hearts of people who listen to Channel One.  Jesus tells us about a king who wished to settle an account with one of his servants who owed him 10,000 dollars (it was talents) but in that most of us do not know what a talent is, we will use dollars.  And because the servant could not pay, the king ordered that he and his family be sold with all their stuff to repay the debt.  Jesus tells us the servant fell on his knees and begged for time to repay the debt, and the king had pity on him and ordered that he be released and his debt be forgiven.  And that is what our Father in heaven has done for each of us, we all had a debt of sin that was impossible to pay, and Jesus said Father I’m willing to do for them what they are unable to do, and He did, He forgave all our sins, past, present, and future, but now the ball is in your court, you are that wicked servant, will you bow your knee to the only true God, for in doing so He will forgive all your sins.

But do not think you can con God, He knows your thoughts, He understands and knows your anxious thoughts, and He loves you beyond your understanding.   So today is the day of Salvation, today is the time to ask forgiveness, but remember the servant whose debt was forgiven went out and showed no mercy to one of his servants and put him in prison for a much smaller debt.  Jesus tells us that when the king heard about it he said: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all your debt because you pleaded with me.  And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?  And in anger the master delivered him to the jailer, until he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32b-35)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Conflicts with our Brothers/Sister's

Matthew 18:15-20

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (Matthew 18:15-16)

How would conflicts change in Christian fellowships if we took serious these words of Jesus?  It is a very early morning in Ireland as I ponder these thoughts, why do you and I not obey these commands of our Lord, could it be many in the church give little or no thought to the written word, has it only become a book of suggestions?  If that is the case, then it must be assumed such people will never receive the things God has prepared for them.  The apostle John shares these words of Jesus with us, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)  Without abiding in Christ, we would be much like a vacuum cleaner without the plug being applied to the life of the electricity, it only goes over the surface, but it has no power, it changes not one thing, many live the Christian life in this manner.

What happens, when we take serious the words of our Lord, when we ask the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to guide us into truth, the answer is simple, He will and we soon find out that abiding in Christ is not a one time decision, not even a weekly or daily, but a moment by moment encounter with the Spirit of God.  It puts no faith in the flesh, no confidence in your abilities, but it has the heart attitude of Christ to His Father, Abba Father, in English, that is help daddy.

Will you stop being worldly and act on these words of Jesus, go to the brother or sister in Christ and before going make sure the log is out of your eye before asking your brother or sister to remove the speck in their eye that is bothering you.  Before going ask the Helper to give you the right heart attitude to resume fellowship that has been broken.  If after you have humbled yourself to your brother or sister and still they refuse, go to one or two others who are guided by the Spirit and have them also go with you to make right this breach of fellowship, and if they still refuse, go to the church.  And Jesus said; “And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:17)

You and I have a choice, we can live the vacuum cleaner life of no power, never plugged in to the source of power, or we can choose to allow Jesus to fully empower us with the power which is only His to give, and we can be world changers, doing what we were designed and equipped to do under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  For God has spoken these words to you, and me, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  (Matthew 18:18-20)

From the Back Porch in Ireland

Bob Rice

Angels

Matthew 24:10-14

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Many a book as been written about angels and I am sure that you have heard someone make the statement, that person is an angel, but on average I would guess that most
Christians would be shocked at the many encounters with angels; angels from God the Father.  In Psalm 91:9-11, we have the these words from the Psalmist, “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”  Some may say but is that not a promise for another time, and I would be quick to remind you that in Hebrews 4:12 we are told the following; “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  With that in mind, let us look to Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”  Do you recall the king’s command to throw Daniel into the den of lions, and how God delivered him?  This is the account of how the king got tricked into throwing Daniel into the lion’s den, and this is what took place; “Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (Daniel 6:16)  Now the rest of the story, “Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.  Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

Now you may still be wondering is that true about me, and the answer is in the affirmative if you are to inherit salvation, for it is stated in Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”  It may be wise for us to pay attention to whom the angels camp around; “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”  And this writer noticed that Daniel told the king; “My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

Returning to Matthew 18:12-14, We have Jesus telling the story of a man with on hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray and he drops all to go in search of the lost sheep. Taking up the account in verses 13,14, “And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”  Now it is time to ask a question; if the Father was willing to let His Son, His only Son step out of heaven to pay your debt, He held against you, would He not love you enough to send His angels to watch over you?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What is Sin?

Matthew 18:7-9

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin!”

What is sin?  Is it objective, or is it cast in stone, and do you as a Christian understand that it is devastating to your relationships?  First, shall we look at how it effects our relationship with God; often we do not look to what is the will of God, but only to our desires, and when we approach God in this manner, it is like praying for rain because your yard needs water, not because your neighbors land is dry.  “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14).  Anytime we are not interested in the will of God, and only desire that our needs and wants are priority, we have moved very close to sin.  Sin will also set us up to want what we want with no regard for the will of God. The apostle James tells all about this, in James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”  Study the Scripture and ask the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to give you a heart to be holy, to desire the will of God above all else.

How does temptation to sin enter into your relationships at work, at school, at home, in the church parking lot, or while at church?   In Romans 12:3, the Amplified Bible;  ^“For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.”  When self-importance is in your mind, sin is always at the door, watch out!  As a husband I’ve learned to take 1Peter 3:7, very serious, in that I want my prayers to be answered, there is always the temptation to not show honor to my wife.

This passage in Matthew 18:7-9 is not directed to a follower of Christ, but to the world, but if we, the Ambassador’s of Christ, do not tell the world, how will they understand the dangers of eternal Hell?  If you are not in Christ, or even if you are and have bought into a heaven without a hell, that is not Jesus’ message; for Jesus talks more about hell than heaven in the Bible.  So read and ask the Spirit of God to open your heart to this warning from our Creator, our Savior, our mighty God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  “For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.”   What will you do with Jesus?  If you have read this it is because the Spirit of God loves you so much that He does not want you to be thrown into the fire of hell, it was not designed for you, it was designed for the devil and his angels.  So pay attention to 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Who is the Greatest?

Matthew 18:1-6

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Do you recall this question that was asked by the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ?  I have learned this from life, never ask a question unless you are willing to listen to the answer.  “And calling to Him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”  

Jan and I stopped at a Whataburger for a quick lunch and a mother came in with the cutest little boy, I’m guessing he was two years old and full of life.  Children have a tendency to talk loud, so Jan and I began to eavesdrop, and he was so innocent with his questions and comments.  He said, hey mom, you see all those cars out there, wow!  Hey mom, you like pickles, as he was taking his out of his burger, putting them on his mother’s plate and saying, I do not like pickles.  Those are just samples of the many questions and statements he made, but not once did his mother acknowledge or reply to this wonderful little person.   Let me acknowledge that the mother may have heard all of these questions many, many times and just needed a rest; I wondered if she understood that Jesus said this little boy was an example of the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

That flies in the face of some of the religious teaching that says it requires actions to become a saint, but this child that Jesus has called and put in the middle of the disciples, has never done any act of greatness, and yet Jesus is clear that greatness in the kingdom of heaven is becoming like an innocent child; “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Have you noticed in our culture that children are often ignored and even disdained?   As the famous Paul Harvey would say, “let me give you, the rest of the story” and this is it from the mouth of Jesus: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

To not give an offense

Matthew 17:24-27

This is one of the statements my dad often repeated, taxes and death are two things we all must encounter.  While living in Spring, Texas, we found out that taxes are not always fair, but it a wise man who pays what is owed and a foolish man who listens to someone who says, you will not have to pay that tax, even if he is a lawyer.  We lived in a sub-division that lost its developer in an accident and the silent partner, a saving & loan, was left holding the bag for a 500 home sub-division, and at that time only four or five houses were built.  They built 10 more houses and when that did not go as planned they devalued the lots that were not built on so that the tax burden would be less, and by doing so they could no longer meet the three million dollar note being paid to the bondholders at 15%.  My taxes went from around $2,800 to over $6000.00 per year an each year we were told that they would double, but have no fear the ad hock attorney assured each of us, on the board, that it was in the best interest of the community.  Like blind sheep we followed his lead!  This is what I came to understand; it was not our community he was referring to but the community of bondholders and bond sellers.  So I did not pay my taxes that year and guess what they fined me, and I ended up paying both my taxes and the penalty.  It was at this point that a godly man rebuked me and told me to give to Caesar what is Caesars’ and to God what is Gods’ and I paid my taxes.

The point is that the tax guy is going to win, so pay up and you will be dollars ahead. Jesus has just come into Capernaum and the collectors of the half-shekel tax went to Peter an asked; “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”  He said, “Yes.”  And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

As I read this, I put myself in Peter’s shoes and being somewhat an entrepreneur, I would have kept fishing, but not Peter, he obeyed the Lord and paid the tax.  You understand it was a tax to support His Father’s house, and Jesus had Peter do it to not give offense to these tax guys.  What did Peter learn from his hook with no bait, he learned that Jesus Christ is all-sufficient; now it is your turn, what did you learn?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice  

He is being Groomed

Matthew 17:22-23

To live in such a time as this, and you may be asking what time is it; a time of change, a time where the foundation of nations are crumbling, lies and deception are taking place, and sin (and I do understand that word is no longer in vogue) is everywhere.   It is a time where many claim to understand the financial markets, some say all is well and paint a beautiful picture, and others, who also claim to understand paint a very different picture, but from the investors viewpoint there is uncertainty.  We are living in a very special time, a time ripe for a leader to step on the world stage that has answers to the many problems that face us.  This person will be at least 80% correct on what they say will take place. 

This leader is being groomed and he will smell good, look good, and even have unbelievable gifts and powers that will sway the masses to declare him king of the world, but he will be a deceiver, a man controlled by the evil one, he will be a counterfeit; an imitation of the real thing.  We had the real thing come into the world over 2000 years ago, but He came as a servant, in fact, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed many years before He came to planet earth these truths: “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”  (Isaiah 53:2,3)

John the apostle tells us this about the One he refers to, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  (John 1:1)  This Word that we have come to know as Jesus Christ came into the world and yet not only the world, but also His own chosen people rejected Him, but that will not be the case with the counterfeit.  You may or may not understand the counterfeit, he will come on the world stage with powers and gifts that will make him look like a divine being, but like his father the devil, he will be a created being under the control of the Creator.

It gets real simple, all of us who live would like to have a leader who tells the truth, who is honest, who has integrity, and who can tell us 100% of the time what is going to happen.  Over 2000 years ago Jesus did just that, but many were not listening, and many had agendas that conflicted with what Jesus said.  Jesus said this about His death and resurrection:  As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.  (Matthew 17:22-23)  Why were they distressed, that was not their plan for Jesus, but remember that was God’s plan for our redemption.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Why not become a Mountain Mover?

Matthew 17:14-21

Does faith move mountains; if so, how can you and I get more faith and become the mountain moving people of God?  Do you recall Matthew’s account of a dad coming to Jesus with a big problem, his son who is an epileptic and is suffering terribly for it, often falls into the fire and the water?  Now the Scriptures are silent on how many doctors he has taken his son to, how many home remedies he has tried, but he is a dad and it is evident that he loves his son.  In fact, he has taken him to the disciples but they could not help his son, he was no better after they had laid hands on and prayed over him; once more we are not sure what they did, we only know that they tried.

The dad comes to Jesus but he is not alone, a crowd is waiting for Jesus and the dad steps out of the crowd and kneels before Him, saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly.  For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

If your flesh is anything like mine, you signed up for the mountain moving faith, what you heard is what I heard; “and nothing will be impossible for you.”  Wait, stop a minute, if your mind is saying, I can have it all with that kind of mountain faith, you must ask what is the all I’m thinking about.  If the all is abiding and going to the Father for orders, and seeing His will and not the desires of your flesh, you are on target.  If that is what your mind was saying, go for it, but maybe we should add a disclaimer, that often God must allow faith to be tested so that we become steadfast, maybe we should read James 1:2-4.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

It has become apparent that faith to have value must have it roots in God only; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)  This writer began to wake-up to this truth, his faith was centered on an experience at age 13, but not on the act of Jesus and the blood that was shed to cover sin.  I came to understand later that I needed grace and faith to put my trust in the blood of Jesus Christ that removes the penalty, and God in His grace gave me that faith, and He wants to give it to who ever will ask for it.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Someone said of late, that you have all the faith you will ever get, and that is in agreement with Scripture, but we can add to that faith, we find in 2 Peter these words of encouragement: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-8)

Why not trust God and become a mountain mover?  These same disciples became that kind of men after Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit took control of their life, and we must add, that was a choice they made.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Who are You?

Matthew 17:9-13

Do you recall when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist, “Who are you” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”  And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”  He said, “I am not.”  “Are you the Prophet?”  And he answer, “No.”  So they said to him, who are you?  We need to give an answer to those who sent us.  What do you say about yourself?”  He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:20-23)  It is clear John does not see himself in any of these roles, he is not Christ, and he believes with all his heart that he is not Elijah, or the Prophet, he is just a guy who wears funny garments, eats bugs, wild honey and lives in the wilderness of Judea.  John has a message from God, it’s the same message that the prophet Isaiah foretold; “Make straight the way of the Lord.”

If you were one of those who had been with Jesus when He was transfigured, you might have questions; especially after Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”  “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

A little background on Elijah may be needed, for Elijah, who did not die as all others have with the exception of Enoch, but was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” (2 Kings 2:11)  And the prophet Malachi foretold that Elijah was coming back, in Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” 

Now if you are one of the disciples coming down from the mountain where Jesus has just been transfigured before you and you see Moses and Elijah with the Lord, and you understand what Malachi has stated, are you a little confused?  They may not have heard John’s confession that he is not Elijah, but as Jesus talks with them they understand that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. 

It is important to look at both Elijah and John’s mission from God, John’s ministry was the Wilderness of Judea, and God told Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.  And he is told by God to drink from the brook, and that God has commanded ravens to feed him.  And when Jezebel told him she was going to kill him that day, do you recall that he went a day’s journey into the wilderness and sat under a broom tree.  Both men were under the control and obeyed the call that God placed on them, and “Malachi 4:5 promised that the Day of the Lord, a time of divine judgment for the wicked but healing and joy for God’s people, would be preceded by the sending of Elijah.  Jesus explained that John the Baptist fulfilled this role and that his ministry signaled the dawn of the Day of the Lord.” (Taken from SCHB page1632 notes 11:14)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What would I have Done?

Matthew 17:1-5

I’ve been blessed to live in the United States of America; it is a special nation of many diverse languages and people, it is a giving nation, it has sent its sons and daughters to fight and die for many other nations and people.  Men who looked to God as their source founded it on belief in God, and this came out of those beliefs; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The USA has been blessed with a life style of affluence, where someone like myself with little direction, little encouragement, and no wealth, can live a life style not imagined by my parents and all that was God’s blessing, not government, for God put in me a desire to work hard, to save, and to help those who were in need.  He also gave me a family called the church that I’ve been blessed to give of the blessings He has given to me and to establish friendships that are for eternity.

Yes, this nation has been blessed with a wealth of resources, both in materials and technology, and yet it has so many voices asking for more without the investment of self, it has looked to the other gods, gods that bring stuff, free stuff, and government that is encouraging dependence on bigger government, but government has never produced anything, it has only taken.  We are becoming a nation of talkers, not a nation of doers, and when you talk, it is impossible to listen, for you are too impressed with yourself to hear from others, much less listen to a God who is unseen.

Many a preacher and teacher have given the apostle Peter a hard time for opening mouth and inserting foot, for talking when he had no clue of what was going on.  But I believe we live in a nation of Peter’s, who read the Scriptures but do not listen and never put our selves in the story.  We must use this wonderful gift of imagination to grasp the foolishness of man and the holiness of God.

If I had been there, now that’s a beginning, what would I have done; Jesus is transfigured before me, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light, and I’m not knowing what to do, He is beautiful, and I should be frightened, but as I look on Him, He is the essence love, of peace, and I’ve never known joy like I am feeling.  The next thing I notice is two men talking with Jesus, and I do not understand how I know them, for they lived long before me, but I do, it is Moses and Elijah, and they are talking with the Lord, just like old friends getting together.

The silence is deafening, but Peter speaks up, it is so great to have a Peter who asks the questions you would like to ask, and this was what Peter said; “Lord, it is good that we are here.  If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”  Now let me tell you something, all that joy was gone in a moment and I was terrified with my face to the ground, and later I learned that so was Peter, James, and John.

Do you know what happened next, we are all in total fear of our lives when Jesus touched me, and as I looked into His face, all fear was gone?   It has been years since that day, and often I’ve looked elsewhere, but the Spirit of God reminds me of that day, the day when God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” It is a choice I must make each day, and often many times during that day, will I listen to Jesus and obey?

From the Back Porch,

Called to be Holy

1 Peter 1:13-16

Called to be Holy

My friend Bill, who is hanging out with Jesus in heaven, has no limit on the questions or the time spent learning the mysteries that were hidden while he was in his earthsuit.  Bill was a teacher, and he taught that the old man died when we came into Christ, but that the flesh, what many wrongly call the sin nature that lives in us, or the old man is very much alive, and is warring with the Spirit.   As we examine 1 Peter 1:13-16, it is a battle of the will, the flesh or the Spirit, but do not be deceived, you and I have been called to be holy.

Let us examine what the Spirit of God is telling us that we must do in order to walk in holiness.  First, we must prepare our minds for action, as a person who made his living in sales, it required studying the account, looking at things from the accounts standpoint, and asking the right questions.  It’s the same approach we need to study the Scriptures to renew our minds, our minds are not centered on the will of God, but on self-will, so begin your journey to being holy, and a great place to begin is the book of John.  We may refer to this as studying the account, and then ask the Holy Spirit, who is called the “Helper” to help you understand what the Bible is telling you.  Remember this; the Holy Spirit’s job is to guide you to Christ.  We are called to apply the truths found in Scripture, to be sober-minded, setting our sight on Christ who lives in us.

Unlike the world system, where often we set our hope on a trip, a new job, a friend, a new home, and the list just keeps going, and we end up with an empty knot in our stomach because it went wrong, so wrong.  When we set our hope on the grace of God, it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and our heart will desire to follow Him.

We as obedient children, yes, it will require obedience to be holy, for the essence of holiness is found in turning from self-will and walking under the authority of the new manager, and not in the passions of our former ignorance.  For God who is holy has called each of us to be holy in our conduct.  That is going to change something, and it is the battleground, ask only the Holy Spirit what behavior or habit needs changing.  He has shown me that I must learn not to be quick to judge those who God has made in His own image.

Holiness is not being better than others, it is not about looking holy, but it is about being holy.  So what is the search engine (computer term), it begins with agreement with God that He is holy, that He is good, that He is merciful, that He is the Creator, and that you and I are sinful an in need of help.  The answer can only be found in the actions of Jesus Christ who has ransomed us by His precious blood.  I do not know what needs are in your life, but this I do know that the one who called you and I to be holy, will do that in our life, because without holiness our light will not shine, and the message of Christ will not be seen in this present darkness.  In Jesus high priestly prayer, Jesus ask this of the Father: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through the word, 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 the world may believe that you have sent me.

God’s calling on your life is to walk in this world under the authority and control of the Holy Spirit, verse 16 states; “since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Does this message work in our Culture?

Matthew 16:24-28

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Does this message work in a culture that is self absorbed, a culture that has little or no tolerance for waiting, a culture that sees little or no value in serving, but only looks to be served?  Jan and I were privileged to attend the Willow creek global Leadership Summit at River City Community Church, what a great body of believers in Christ, and as soon has you drove on to the property they had a team of men, women, boys and girls, who served us, in too many ways to list. You might say that was their jobs, and I will not disagree but if you had been there you would have seen the joy serving others was bringing to them, for their actions did show that they knew they were not serving man, but God. 

At lunch, the Oakwood team had our own room to make lunch work in such a short time, and each day someone sat at the table with Jan and I that we had not met.  Roy sat with us, and I found out he was the administrator of a large hospital in our area.  He is a neat Christian, and I enjoyed visiting with him, but another man also sat at our table who I had not met, his name was Kevin, and when we got through eating he picked up all out plates, and then he came back and ask Roy if he could bring him some of the peach cobbler, Keith was being a servant, like Jesus.

The only reason I told that story is in our church culture there are fewer and fewer Keith’s, but I’m ashamed to say many Bob’s that enjoy being first, being waited on, like to be noticed, and always has something to say, even if it is totally wrong.  The message Jesus gave to his twelve disciples can change the culture we live in, and I’m praying we will obey his message.

Maybe we need to revisit what Jesus has told us, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  This generation, just like the ones that came before it, is looking for something of great value, something to give its self to, and Jesus is the answer but they do not understand that losing their life for His sake will give them life, which far exceeds anything the world of “me first” has to offer.  Listen to the career offer from the mouth of Jesus; “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”  John, the beloved apostle, was that man, and he wrote under the leadership of the Holy Spirit the account in the Revelation. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice