Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, “He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness abides forever.” --II Corinthians 9:7-9
I actually believe that the Lord, on occasion, has allowed me to be cheated, stolen from, to misplace money, and even to have it fly out a window or drop down a sewer. Why? We can say that our security is in Him, that we believe in His provision, and that we are living under His control. However, our reaction to money lost is an indication of where we really stand in relation to those things. When I give, and give liberally, I am in faith. I have control over the giving. However, theft is uncontrolled giving without the consent of my will, giving I had not planned on, giving of what I had laid aside for a predetermined use. If I react negatively when it disappears, what does that reveal about my heart? It is a fact that I am living under His provision, and as the Scriptures say, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
- Mike Wells
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Thursday, March 28, 2019
What Will He Do In Our Weakness?
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.--James 1:17
I was on an international trip when I was asked to have tea with an evangelist before a church service. The purpose of our time together, as it turned out, was so that he could reveal that I do not read my Bible the proper way, that Westerners cannot really minister in this country, my messages are a bit too complex, and the altar call was done entirely in the wrong manner. I received it; I can see it is difficult to have me around and I am a real labor for this person. Therefore, here is how I began the meeting that followed. "I am aware of my weaknesses when I travel in another country. I do not speak your language, I wear the wrong clothing, I do not preach, pray, or have an altar call as you would, and I am going to mess up many things. I want to acknowledge this and ask for your prayers. If anything comes out of the meeting, it will have to be God, and it will be obvious to all. I am happy to stand here and say, ‘I can't,’ because that confession stirs something else in me: the assurance that He can.” Well, the people really prayed for me, and God gave a wonderful message on the Lord's Prayer. The weakest believer who goes to Jesus is better off than those with great understanding and little time spent with the Lord. I told them of the leper, Michael Francis, a believer and a law student in India that developed leprosy. His wife took the kids and abandoned him. He died a homeless beggar. Before he died, Alex Mathew asked him, "Michael, what is abiding?" As he sat on the concrete platform, ears, fingers, and toes eaten away, Michael moved his palm across the sidewalk and said, "See this cement that I sleep on? It is as soft as velvet to me, for it is the very lap of Jesus. Every night He holds me here. That is abiding." He did not know much, but he knew Jesus.
- Mike Wells
I was on an international trip when I was asked to have tea with an evangelist before a church service. The purpose of our time together, as it turned out, was so that he could reveal that I do not read my Bible the proper way, that Westerners cannot really minister in this country, my messages are a bit too complex, and the altar call was done entirely in the wrong manner. I received it; I can see it is difficult to have me around and I am a real labor for this person. Therefore, here is how I began the meeting that followed. "I am aware of my weaknesses when I travel in another country. I do not speak your language, I wear the wrong clothing, I do not preach, pray, or have an altar call as you would, and I am going to mess up many things. I want to acknowledge this and ask for your prayers. If anything comes out of the meeting, it will have to be God, and it will be obvious to all. I am happy to stand here and say, ‘I can't,’ because that confession stirs something else in me: the assurance that He can.” Well, the people really prayed for me, and God gave a wonderful message on the Lord's Prayer. The weakest believer who goes to Jesus is better off than those with great understanding and little time spent with the Lord. I told them of the leper, Michael Francis, a believer and a law student in India that developed leprosy. His wife took the kids and abandoned him. He died a homeless beggar. Before he died, Alex Mathew asked him, "Michael, what is abiding?" As he sat on the concrete platform, ears, fingers, and toes eaten away, Michael moved his palm across the sidewalk and said, "See this cement that I sleep on? It is as soft as velvet to me, for it is the very lap of Jesus. Every night He holds me here. That is abiding." He did not know much, but he knew Jesus.
- Mike Wells
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
What Will He Do In Our Weakness?
When Christians gather and sing, “Victory in Jesus,” most testimonies that follow tell of some great accomplishment that someone has been a part of, usually take credit for or allow others to praise them for, yet always want to “give all the glory to God.” Ever hear any of those stories?
After reading today’s writing by Michael, let us ask ourselves, “When is the last time I have heard a testimony like this?”
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.--James 1:17
I was on an international trip when I was asked to have tea with an evangelist before a church service. The purpose of our time together, as it turned out, was so that he could reveal that I do not read my Bible the proper way, that Westerners cannot really minister in this country, my messages are a bit too complex, and the altar call was done entirely in the wrong manner. I received it; I can see it is difficult to have me around and I am a real labor for this person. Therefore, here is how I began the meeting that followed. "I am aware of my weaknesses when I travel in another country. I do not speak your language, I wear the wrong clothing, I do not preach, pray, or have an altar call as you would, and I am going to mess up many things. I want to acknowledge this and ask for your prayers. If anything comes out of the meeting, it will have to be God, and it will be obvious to all. I am happy to stand here and say, ‘I can't,’ because that confession stirs something else in me: the assurance that He can.” Well, the people really prayed for me, and God gave a wonderful message on the Lord's Prayer. The weakest believer who goes to Jesus is better off than those with great understanding and little time spent with the Lord. I told them of the leper, Michael Francis, a believer and a law student in India that developed leprosy. His wife took the kids and abandoned him. He died a homeless beggar. Before he died, Alex Mathew asked him, "Michael, what is abiding?" As he sat on the concrete platform, ears, fingers, and toes eaten away, Michael moved his palm across the sidewalk and said, "See this cement that I sleep on? It is as soft as velvet to me, for it is the very lap of Jesus. Every night He holds me here. That is abiding." He did not know much, but he knew Jesus.
After reading today’s writing by Michael, let us ask ourselves, “When is the last time I have heard a testimony like this?”
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.--James 1:17
I was on an international trip when I was asked to have tea with an evangelist before a church service. The purpose of our time together, as it turned out, was so that he could reveal that I do not read my Bible the proper way, that Westerners cannot really minister in this country, my messages are a bit too complex, and the altar call was done entirely in the wrong manner. I received it; I can see it is difficult to have me around and I am a real labor for this person. Therefore, here is how I began the meeting that followed. "I am aware of my weaknesses when I travel in another country. I do not speak your language, I wear the wrong clothing, I do not preach, pray, or have an altar call as you would, and I am going to mess up many things. I want to acknowledge this and ask for your prayers. If anything comes out of the meeting, it will have to be God, and it will be obvious to all. I am happy to stand here and say, ‘I can't,’ because that confession stirs something else in me: the assurance that He can.” Well, the people really prayed for me, and God gave a wonderful message on the Lord's Prayer. The weakest believer who goes to Jesus is better off than those with great understanding and little time spent with the Lord. I told them of the leper, Michael Francis, a believer and a law student in India that developed leprosy. His wife took the kids and abandoned him. He died a homeless beggar. Before he died, Alex Mathew asked him, "Michael, what is abiding?" As he sat on the concrete platform, ears, fingers, and toes eaten away, Michael moved his palm across the sidewalk and said, "See this cement that I sleep on? It is as soft as velvet to me, for it is the very lap of Jesus. Every night He holds me here. That is abiding." He did not know much, but he knew Jesus.
Friday, March 15, 2019
Love Growing Cold
If the Church, and its individual members (I Cor. 12.27) cannot come to terms with the reality that Jesus is Lord, and they are not, then we can count on our ‘love growing cold’ to the point that we seemingly are starting to see in our social-media culture. If Jesus were to come right now (please, Lord!), would He really find faith in His churches? In my experience the answer, in the main, is a resounding NO!
If Christians don’t realize that the source of their life is Christ, then how are they supposed to bear witness to this reality in the world; or even in the Church at large? The love of many has grown cold indeed. People have conflated the simplicity of the true Christ with a different Jesus (II Cor. 11) and called Him Lord. There is no love available there; only self-aggrandizement and the exaltation of the naveled-self as Lord. There is no power for “Christians” living under these sorts of anti-Christ terms, and as such there is no light to shed on the darkness we are plunging further and further into each day. The Church is to have a leavening effect on the culture; in this world system. It cannot nor will not till it starts to live in repentant-living; she isn’t, and probably won’t unfortunately. There is a corresponding relationship between the love of many growing cold, and the darkness we see on the rise as a result.
Pastors are responsible for proclaiming Christ and Him crucified to their congregants; this is a weighty responsibility for which there is stricter judgment coming. Pastors, and those of us who ‘teach,’ are responsible before God for the souls of those under our care. There is a general failure underway, especially in the evangelical churches, such that any ‘power of God’ we might participate in and with through Christ is absent. The absence of power in the Churches to live holy and bold lives before God in Christ, are directly corollary with our unwillingness to recognize that Jesus is Lord; in our unwillingness to live in obedience to Him.
My experience yesterday on Facebook, and now this shooting in New Zealand (not equating them, per se) has only illustrated to me once more how urgent things are! There doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency among the people of God. The churches seem to be stagnating with no real power in the world at large; or even in their own homes and personal lives. There seems to be a lack of living into and for the ‘Great Commission’ that our Lord has commanded we follow Him in as He seeks to save the least and the lost. Lord! Maranatha
If Christians don’t realize that the source of their life is Christ, then how are they supposed to bear witness to this reality in the world; or even in the Church at large? The love of many has grown cold indeed. People have conflated the simplicity of the true Christ with a different Jesus (II Cor. 11) and called Him Lord. There is no love available there; only self-aggrandizement and the exaltation of the naveled-self as Lord. There is no power for “Christians” living under these sorts of anti-Christ terms, and as such there is no light to shed on the darkness we are plunging further and further into each day. The Church is to have a leavening effect on the culture; in this world system. It cannot nor will not till it starts to live in repentant-living; she isn’t, and probably won’t unfortunately. There is a corresponding relationship between the love of many growing cold, and the darkness we see on the rise as a result.
Pastors are responsible for proclaiming Christ and Him crucified to their congregants; this is a weighty responsibility for which there is stricter judgment coming. Pastors, and those of us who ‘teach,’ are responsible before God for the souls of those under our care. There is a general failure underway, especially in the evangelical churches, such that any ‘power of God’ we might participate in and with through Christ is absent. The absence of power in the Churches to live holy and bold lives before God in Christ, are directly corollary with our unwillingness to recognize that Jesus is Lord; in our unwillingness to live in obedience to Him.
My experience yesterday on Facebook, and now this shooting in New Zealand (not equating them, per se) has only illustrated to me once more how urgent things are! There doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency among the people of God. The churches seem to be stagnating with no real power in the world at large; or even in their own homes and personal lives. There seems to be a lack of living into and for the ‘Great Commission’ that our Lord has commanded we follow Him in as He seeks to save the least and the lost. Lord! Maranatha
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Should Christians “Self Care?”
Words and phrases come and go. Both within the church and without, they often rise for a while, then quietly slip into decline and disuse. It is an annual tradition for dictionaries to announce the new words they are adding as well as the antiquated ones they are removing. In recent days, I’ve repeatedly heard the phrase “self-care,” or one of its many synonyms. I’ve heard it used in church contexts and in secular ones. I’ve seen Christians and non-Christians alike laud it or lament it, describe it as a key to health or bash it as a frivolous waste. I’ve heard many wonder: Should Christians emphasize self-care?
As is so often the case, I think the answer is both yes and no. There is a sense in which self-care is one of our most basic responsibilities before God and our fellow man. Yet there is another sense in which it can be in direct opposition to our most basic responsibilities before God and man. Definitions and proportions make all the difference.
A basic tenet of the Christian worldview is that we are to care. To care is to provide “what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.” From the very beginning, human beings were charged with caring for God’s creation and everything in it. And while even the somethings are important, we have a special responsibility toward the someones, for it is the ones who bear the image of God. We see the provision of care as essential to the Old Testament Law and the New Testament church alike. We see care as essential to family and social relationships. Bound up within the second great commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself,” is the duty of care.
Yet also bound up within it is the acceptance of some level of self-care. After all, we are not to love our neighbors instead of ourselves but as ourselves. We need to be careful here. We are naturally self-infatuated and prone to elevate ourselves over others, despite the Bible’s calls to radical self-denial. I don’t see this commandment calling us to self-obsession. But I’d still maintain there is an appropriate form of self-care.
The Bible makes it clear that we are more than mere body or mere soul, but a mysterious unity of both (and so much more). We know there are close ties between our physical and emotional health, or between our emotional and spiritual well-being. We quickly learn that we have more quantity and quality of care to give others when we have taken care of ourselves. This makes sense, since our care flows out of our very selves. What we express outwardly is a reflection of what’s going on inwardly. When we self-care, we are caring for the most basic stuff God gives us to care for others.
Thus, we best extend care to others when we have cared for our own physical health (How can we walk the second mile with someone when we are so out of shape that we are huffing and puffing after the first few steps?); when we have cared for our own mental health (If we are workaholics and have neglected sabbath, putting ourselves deep into burnout, how can we bear the burdens of another person?); when we have cared for our own spiritual health (If we have grown cold and distant from God, what hope and help can we offer a wavering believer?); when we have cared for our relational health (A brother is born for adversity, but if we neglect our friendships, how can we know or care about another person’s grief or pain?). In so many ways, the care we offer to others flows out of the care we’ve taken for ourselves. It was not apart from, but because of, Jesus’s love for others that he sometimes walked away from them to spend time with his friends and Father.
It does not take great self-knowledge to know that in most cases, our temptation is to love ourselves too much, not too little. In most cases, our challenge is to radically love others more than we selfishly love ourselves. There is a balance we need to maintain, and though it would be foolish to assign exact standards or ratios, it seems to me that this self-care should be enough to equip us to properly and dutifully care for others, but not so much that it tips over into obsession with ourselves or neglect of others. This kind of self-care should be aimed not just at personal fulfillment but the fulfillment of our God-given duty toward others.
We are to care for others because care is love, care is essential to our God-given calling as humans and as Christians. Yet we cannot adequately care for others unless we care for ourselves. We rest and read and retreat so we can care more and better. We build habits and patterns that make us more faithful servants. We sometimes put ourselves ahead of others in our schedules so we can put others ahead of ourselves in our lives. Self-care is a necessary means of protecting and furthering our others-care.
As is so often the case, I think the answer is both yes and no. There is a sense in which self-care is one of our most basic responsibilities before God and our fellow man. Yet there is another sense in which it can be in direct opposition to our most basic responsibilities before God and man. Definitions and proportions make all the difference.
A basic tenet of the Christian worldview is that we are to care. To care is to provide “what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.” From the very beginning, human beings were charged with caring for God’s creation and everything in it. And while even the somethings are important, we have a special responsibility toward the someones, for it is the ones who bear the image of God. We see the provision of care as essential to the Old Testament Law and the New Testament church alike. We see care as essential to family and social relationships. Bound up within the second great commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself,” is the duty of care.
Yet also bound up within it is the acceptance of some level of self-care. After all, we are not to love our neighbors instead of ourselves but as ourselves. We need to be careful here. We are naturally self-infatuated and prone to elevate ourselves over others, despite the Bible’s calls to radical self-denial. I don’t see this commandment calling us to self-obsession. But I’d still maintain there is an appropriate form of self-care.
The Bible makes it clear that we are more than mere body or mere soul, but a mysterious unity of both (and so much more). We know there are close ties between our physical and emotional health, or between our emotional and spiritual well-being. We quickly learn that we have more quantity and quality of care to give others when we have taken care of ourselves. This makes sense, since our care flows out of our very selves. What we express outwardly is a reflection of what’s going on inwardly. When we self-care, we are caring for the most basic stuff God gives us to care for others.
Thus, we best extend care to others when we have cared for our own physical health (How can we walk the second mile with someone when we are so out of shape that we are huffing and puffing after the first few steps?); when we have cared for our own mental health (If we are workaholics and have neglected sabbath, putting ourselves deep into burnout, how can we bear the burdens of another person?); when we have cared for our own spiritual health (If we have grown cold and distant from God, what hope and help can we offer a wavering believer?); when we have cared for our relational health (A brother is born for adversity, but if we neglect our friendships, how can we know or care about another person’s grief or pain?). In so many ways, the care we offer to others flows out of the care we’ve taken for ourselves. It was not apart from, but because of, Jesus’s love for others that he sometimes walked away from them to spend time with his friends and Father.
It does not take great self-knowledge to know that in most cases, our temptation is to love ourselves too much, not too little. In most cases, our challenge is to radically love others more than we selfishly love ourselves. There is a balance we need to maintain, and though it would be foolish to assign exact standards or ratios, it seems to me that this self-care should be enough to equip us to properly and dutifully care for others, but not so much that it tips over into obsession with ourselves or neglect of others. This kind of self-care should be aimed not just at personal fulfillment but the fulfillment of our God-given duty toward others.
We are to care for others because care is love, care is essential to our God-given calling as humans and as Christians. Yet we cannot adequately care for others unless we care for ourselves. We rest and read and retreat so we can care more and better. We build habits and patterns that make us more faithful servants. We sometimes put ourselves ahead of others in our schedules so we can put others ahead of ourselves in our lives. Self-care is a necessary means of protecting and furthering our others-care.
What To Do When Accused Of Being False
Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? --I John 2:22
. . . regarded as deceivers and yet true. --II Corinthians 6:8
Every believer must be prepared for the day when he is accused of being a false teacher or a cult leader.It has happened to me, and so I have begun opening nearly every conference with the admonition that not everything I say is true; I am a man in process and make mistakes. However, the one thing I always will say in a conference that is truth is that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Sometimes I say the wrong thing, sometimes I am wrong, and other times I am misunderstood when a person hears what I am not saying. However, there are those with an agenda to disregard the message of abiding in Christ moment by moment by discrediting me; my words, written or uttered, are examined to confirm a pre-established bias. These believers are something like pre-conversion Saul, wanting to stir up the crowd to lay their robes at the feet and stone any who do not agree with their positions 100%. They throw around words such as cult, false teacher, and heretic, harsh assessments for one who teaches that nothing but Jesus matters. I have often told those who are looking for ways in which they can discredit me that if they would simply sit down with me, I would give them a list of my harmful attributes. I have been negative, I have not always abided in Christ, I have walked in the flesh, I have judged, I have been bitter, I have not walked in love or loved without hypocrisy, and the list goes on. But then again, knowing my own frailty is why there is no record of my ever trying to get anyone to follow me. My emphasis consistently runs toward following Jesus. Well, amen, false judgments must come, and some with a vengeance.
What am I to do? First, I must see God in it. David looked at the man on the hill cursing and spitting and refused to allow his soldiers to harm the man, because he wondered whether God had allowed it for His own purposes. There is a purpose in being judged falsely and loving enemies. I may not want any enemies, but I cannot learn to bless those that curse me without ever having been cursed. I want to rise above distractions and follow Jesus, but I never want the distractions. Just as Judas delivered up Jesus, and from that treacherous act Life was given to man, so God sends us our own Judas, who in ignorance delivers us up in order that we might discover that the Jesus within is greater than the slander without. If I am not preaching Christ crucified, then in all honesty I want God to remove me from the lives of others. But if I am preaching Christ, I will let God deal with the detractor on the hill.
Second, I cannot allow the judgments of the carnal to become my focus. This is the most demonic side of accusations, that a hitherto unknown person might actually steal a believer’s focus away from Jesus. In a worst-case scenario in which what is being said is true, health would come from a glance back to Jesus, not a prolonged look at and dialogue with the detractor. Therefore, when I am attacked, I am best off to go silent and start talking all the more about Jesus, not wasting time defending myself. To win the alliance of an accuser is not a victory! By attacking me and making me his focus, the accuser proves that he does not agree with the message of keeping our focus on Jesus.
Third, I can freely tell other believers that they can help by not defending me to anyone. I am God’s servant, so those who accuse should be sent to the Master of the servant. The servant is not greater than the Master; the Master is all that matters. We defend the preaching of Jesus always; we defend the messenger never. When we start defending someone we love, our flesh is stirred, our focus moves from Jesus, our peace departs, and our accuser has accomplished the goal of the “accuser of the brethren.” This is the most difficult thing for me; I can stand to be slandered, but I cannot bear seeing those I love slandered. It is important that we do not defend men, for it is always a trap the enemy has set. When someone we love is falsely accused, we should respond by talking about Jesus. Our goal is Jesus. Remember, the detractor’s job is to detract us from Jesus to a lesser issue.
Fourth and finally, I want to have compassion for those who make false judgments, for I have done it myself. I have gotten everything wrong. Having this in my past, I can say with complete confidence that I would rather be the one being judged than the one doing the judging. The one being judged can come away sweet, but the one involved with judging will always go away depleted and under the judgment of God.
- Mike Wells
. . . regarded as deceivers and yet true. --II Corinthians 6:8
Every believer must be prepared for the day when he is accused of being a false teacher or a cult leader.It has happened to me, and so I have begun opening nearly every conference with the admonition that not everything I say is true; I am a man in process and make mistakes. However, the one thing I always will say in a conference that is truth is that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Sometimes I say the wrong thing, sometimes I am wrong, and other times I am misunderstood when a person hears what I am not saying. However, there are those with an agenda to disregard the message of abiding in Christ moment by moment by discrediting me; my words, written or uttered, are examined to confirm a pre-established bias. These believers are something like pre-conversion Saul, wanting to stir up the crowd to lay their robes at the feet and stone any who do not agree with their positions 100%. They throw around words such as cult, false teacher, and heretic, harsh assessments for one who teaches that nothing but Jesus matters. I have often told those who are looking for ways in which they can discredit me that if they would simply sit down with me, I would give them a list of my harmful attributes. I have been negative, I have not always abided in Christ, I have walked in the flesh, I have judged, I have been bitter, I have not walked in love or loved without hypocrisy, and the list goes on. But then again, knowing my own frailty is why there is no record of my ever trying to get anyone to follow me. My emphasis consistently runs toward following Jesus. Well, amen, false judgments must come, and some with a vengeance.
What am I to do? First, I must see God in it. David looked at the man on the hill cursing and spitting and refused to allow his soldiers to harm the man, because he wondered whether God had allowed it for His own purposes. There is a purpose in being judged falsely and loving enemies. I may not want any enemies, but I cannot learn to bless those that curse me without ever having been cursed. I want to rise above distractions and follow Jesus, but I never want the distractions. Just as Judas delivered up Jesus, and from that treacherous act Life was given to man, so God sends us our own Judas, who in ignorance delivers us up in order that we might discover that the Jesus within is greater than the slander without. If I am not preaching Christ crucified, then in all honesty I want God to remove me from the lives of others. But if I am preaching Christ, I will let God deal with the detractor on the hill.
Second, I cannot allow the judgments of the carnal to become my focus. This is the most demonic side of accusations, that a hitherto unknown person might actually steal a believer’s focus away from Jesus. In a worst-case scenario in which what is being said is true, health would come from a glance back to Jesus, not a prolonged look at and dialogue with the detractor. Therefore, when I am attacked, I am best off to go silent and start talking all the more about Jesus, not wasting time defending myself. To win the alliance of an accuser is not a victory! By attacking me and making me his focus, the accuser proves that he does not agree with the message of keeping our focus on Jesus.
Third, I can freely tell other believers that they can help by not defending me to anyone. I am God’s servant, so those who accuse should be sent to the Master of the servant. The servant is not greater than the Master; the Master is all that matters. We defend the preaching of Jesus always; we defend the messenger never. When we start defending someone we love, our flesh is stirred, our focus moves from Jesus, our peace departs, and our accuser has accomplished the goal of the “accuser of the brethren.” This is the most difficult thing for me; I can stand to be slandered, but I cannot bear seeing those I love slandered. It is important that we do not defend men, for it is always a trap the enemy has set. When someone we love is falsely accused, we should respond by talking about Jesus. Our goal is Jesus. Remember, the detractor’s job is to detract us from Jesus to a lesser issue.
Fourth and finally, I want to have compassion for those who make false judgments, for I have done it myself. I have gotten everything wrong. Having this in my past, I can say with complete confidence that I would rather be the one being judged than the one doing the judging. The one being judged can come away sweet, but the one involved with judging will always go away depleted and under the judgment of God.
- Mike Wells
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Labels
Recently, I was in a conversation where every question or comment was about the church. People were looking for a model or at least validation for how they were doing ‘it.’ Something happened over the last couple of centuries that has made us more preoccupied with how we’re doing church than how we are following Jesus. I remember that trap well myself; it’s how religion has become more important than Jesus to so many of us. I paused to ask them how often Jesus used the word “church” (2 times) in the Gospels and contrasted it with how many times Jesus mentions his “kingdom” (121 times). Maybe if we were more preoccupied with his kingdom coming than we are about how we do church, we would see more of both.
Last week, I was in the Tulsa area with people who varied widely in their view of “church” and their participation in it. And you know what? It didn’t matter. What we shared in common—our belief in him, our desire to love in the world, and our desire to get to know each other—was more than enough. His church is a lovely family growing in the world—one that lives by love, not labels. If you want to be part of his kingdom, don’t look to the labels you wear or those others do, but for the fragrance of Father flowing from their lives.
Anyone who finds more identity in their institutional affiliation or lack of it, their doctrine or lack of it, their ritual or lack of it, proves by doing so that they have yet to find their identity and validation in Jesus and their relationship with him. Can you imagine what we would demonstrate to the world if we were lovers of Jesus and each other, first and only? Isn’t that what he asked of us in John 13:34-35? By that, he said, the whole world would come to know we are his followers.
- Wayne Jacobsen
Last week, I was in the Tulsa area with people who varied widely in their view of “church” and their participation in it. And you know what? It didn’t matter. What we shared in common—our belief in him, our desire to love in the world, and our desire to get to know each other—was more than enough. His church is a lovely family growing in the world—one that lives by love, not labels. If you want to be part of his kingdom, don’t look to the labels you wear or those others do, but for the fragrance of Father flowing from their lives.
Anyone who finds more identity in their institutional affiliation or lack of it, their doctrine or lack of it, their ritual or lack of it, proves by doing so that they have yet to find their identity and validation in Jesus and their relationship with him. Can you imagine what we would demonstrate to the world if we were lovers of Jesus and each other, first and only? Isn’t that what he asked of us in John 13:34-35? By that, he said, the whole world would come to know we are his followers.
- Wayne Jacobsen
What The Deeper Life Is Not
From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.--John 1:16
I was talking with a very caring, loving, and spiritual brother in the Lord when he made the comment that he could not understand much of Christian counseling and theology, so he concluded that it was unintelligible because he was a simple man and the information in the books he was reading was just too deep for him. It so vexes me to hear such things, for the books he mentioned were not unintelligible to him because they were too deep, but rather because they were too unbelieving. It is unbelieving man who makes the Christian life deep, difficult, and hard to understand, because he has no intention of following the simple commands of Christ. The unbelieving believer has a vested interest in saying such things as, "It cannot be that simple; we need to know more," and, "We must find the balance." The statements of Jesus to love God and your neighbor would not be classified as profound by the elitist “deep” thinkers, but for the believing they represent the river of life that never goes dry. One who has Christ is deep, among the wisest of the wise! His mind is being renewed and he leads the world! One who has Christ possesses the Way of life, and so his world is coming together!
- Mike Wells
I was talking with a very caring, loving, and spiritual brother in the Lord when he made the comment that he could not understand much of Christian counseling and theology, so he concluded that it was unintelligible because he was a simple man and the information in the books he was reading was just too deep for him. It so vexes me to hear such things, for the books he mentioned were not unintelligible to him because they were too deep, but rather because they were too unbelieving. It is unbelieving man who makes the Christian life deep, difficult, and hard to understand, because he has no intention of following the simple commands of Christ. The unbelieving believer has a vested interest in saying such things as, "It cannot be that simple; we need to know more," and, "We must find the balance." The statements of Jesus to love God and your neighbor would not be classified as profound by the elitist “deep” thinkers, but for the believing they represent the river of life that never goes dry. One who has Christ is deep, among the wisest of the wise! His mind is being renewed and he leads the world! One who has Christ possesses the Way of life, and so his world is coming together!
- Mike Wells
Friday, March 8, 2019
Establishing the Kingdom
More than a century ago James Lewis penned these penetrating words: “The establishment of the Kingdom of God upon earth is slow work. It requires not that men should be busy with the affairs of other people, but that they should come first to themselves, and mourn over the meanness of their own nature and the vanity of their own life; not that they should crusade against the evils of society, but weep bitter tears over their own sins; not that they should fussily seek to put the world right, but get put right themselves. Whether the Kingdom of God does nor does not affect these external matters, we shall presently see. But directly it does not deal with them. It deals with the individual. ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation’; it is hidden, internal, spiritual. It is the establishment of righteousness in the human soul. It is the subjugation of the powers of man to the mind of Christ.
“Men talk of this kingdom as mystical, unreal. Let them try it for a month! Jesus Christ aspires to a sway such as no Caesar, Emperor, or Dictator, has ever been able to command. A rule of marching armies and clanging swords can do much. That grand Roman power was mighty. It could tax men and make them pay. It could stretch its scepter over distant provinces, and awe men into submission. It could say to one man, ‘Go,’ and he went, to another ‘Come,’ and he came. It could command the bodies, the time, the thoughts of men. It could send men to death, and even in his mortal pangs the poor gladiator must cry, ‘O Caesar, dying, I salute thee!’ One thing it could not do, even though it bound captives to its chariot wheels. There is a part of man’s nature which coercion cannot reach; a path which the ‘lion’s whelps have not trod.’ To that region man can retire, and say to all invading powers, ‘Thus far shall you come and no further.’ That is the region in which the Kingdom of Christ prevails. He will possess the heart of man. He will control the passions, and govern the will, and purify the motives, and mold the life of man. The whole nature shall be subdued to the quality of its Lord, and all the current of man’s being shall turn to Him. The drunkard and drug addict shall deny his insatiable craving, the thief shall steal no more, the liar shall speak the truth, the immoral and perverted shall draw away from his lust, the slothful, lazy and opportunist shall devote himself to his work, and men shall be changed, captivated, charmed by HIS WORD. They shall prefer HIM to their chief joy!
“You will have noticed that His promises of help reach the deep, eternal cravings of the human heart. He has come, not to satisfy a craze, or gratify a whim, or minister to a passing fancy, but that men might have life. The power of the kingdom of God is the love of God in Jesus Christ. Our King comes to dwell with us, to be in us. His throne is the heart of man. It is not in word, in formularies, ordinances, creeds, laws, or governmental coercion. It is in power. It is the virtue of God in Christ Jesus which enters human weakness at the touch of faith. It is ‘Christ in you.’ Fling open, then, the gates of your soul. The Lord, strong and mighty — strong to deliver, mighty to save — waits to enter. Let the King of Glory in!” — end quote.
“Men talk of this kingdom as mystical, unreal. Let them try it for a month! Jesus Christ aspires to a sway such as no Caesar, Emperor, or Dictator, has ever been able to command. A rule of marching armies and clanging swords can do much. That grand Roman power was mighty. It could tax men and make them pay. It could stretch its scepter over distant provinces, and awe men into submission. It could say to one man, ‘Go,’ and he went, to another ‘Come,’ and he came. It could command the bodies, the time, the thoughts of men. It could send men to death, and even in his mortal pangs the poor gladiator must cry, ‘O Caesar, dying, I salute thee!’ One thing it could not do, even though it bound captives to its chariot wheels. There is a part of man’s nature which coercion cannot reach; a path which the ‘lion’s whelps have not trod.’ To that region man can retire, and say to all invading powers, ‘Thus far shall you come and no further.’ That is the region in which the Kingdom of Christ prevails. He will possess the heart of man. He will control the passions, and govern the will, and purify the motives, and mold the life of man. The whole nature shall be subdued to the quality of its Lord, and all the current of man’s being shall turn to Him. The drunkard and drug addict shall deny his insatiable craving, the thief shall steal no more, the liar shall speak the truth, the immoral and perverted shall draw away from his lust, the slothful, lazy and opportunist shall devote himself to his work, and men shall be changed, captivated, charmed by HIS WORD. They shall prefer HIM to their chief joy!
“You will have noticed that His promises of help reach the deep, eternal cravings of the human heart. He has come, not to satisfy a craze, or gratify a whim, or minister to a passing fancy, but that men might have life. The power of the kingdom of God is the love of God in Jesus Christ. Our King comes to dwell with us, to be in us. His throne is the heart of man. It is not in word, in formularies, ordinances, creeds, laws, or governmental coercion. It is in power. It is the virtue of God in Christ Jesus which enters human weakness at the touch of faith. It is ‘Christ in you.’ Fling open, then, the gates of your soul. The Lord, strong and mighty — strong to deliver, mighty to save — waits to enter. Let the King of Glory in!” — end quote.
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Friday, March 1, 2019
What Qualifies God To Be God?
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. –I John 4:8
What qualifies God to be God?Why is God eligible to receive worship and to have all glory, honor, and authority? What makes Him a father or gives Him the right to make judgments, to tell others what to do, or to have a kingdom? The answer is really quite simple: God is love! He is perfect, complete, defining, and all-encompassing Love. This means that God is patient, kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, never acts unbecomingly, does not seek His own, is not provoked, does not take into account any wrong suffered, hates unrighteousness, rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails. Is there anyone more qualified than God to be in charge?
Well, of course! We already knew God is love! That is exactly the problem: we knew. It is something in the past that we remember being told, but we have moved on to consider loftier aspects of God. The revelation of His love is the foundation for everything we will ever learn and every experience that we have (good or bad); it is the source of our devotion and obedience.
One time as I walked through the forest, I noticed that what should have been the fresh green sprouts on the tips of a pine tree had turned yellow, and the year’s growth was wasted. The tree would begin next year at the same place it had this year. It reminded me of how new growth within us, no matter how glorious, will be killed without the continued revelation of His love.
We easily mouth the words, “God is love,” but do we have the revelation of it? To have God at the backs of our minds throughout the day is to confine love in the background. As stated many times, we stand or fall by our definitions. We need definitions, but words cannot describe love;the grandest, most complex vocabulary will not get the job done of enabling us to know what love is. Is it possible with words to describe the great I AM? Then it is equally impossible to describe Love, for God is Love. God did not even try to describe love with words, because they were not good enough! So the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. To know Love we must know Jesus.
- Mike Wells
What qualifies God to be God?Why is God eligible to receive worship and to have all glory, honor, and authority? What makes Him a father or gives Him the right to make judgments, to tell others what to do, or to have a kingdom? The answer is really quite simple: God is love! He is perfect, complete, defining, and all-encompassing Love. This means that God is patient, kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, never acts unbecomingly, does not seek His own, is not provoked, does not take into account any wrong suffered, hates unrighteousness, rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails. Is there anyone more qualified than God to be in charge?
Well, of course! We already knew God is love! That is exactly the problem: we knew. It is something in the past that we remember being told, but we have moved on to consider loftier aspects of God. The revelation of His love is the foundation for everything we will ever learn and every experience that we have (good or bad); it is the source of our devotion and obedience.
One time as I walked through the forest, I noticed that what should have been the fresh green sprouts on the tips of a pine tree had turned yellow, and the year’s growth was wasted. The tree would begin next year at the same place it had this year. It reminded me of how new growth within us, no matter how glorious, will be killed without the continued revelation of His love.
We easily mouth the words, “God is love,” but do we have the revelation of it? To have God at the backs of our minds throughout the day is to confine love in the background. As stated many times, we stand or fall by our definitions. We need definitions, but words cannot describe love;the grandest, most complex vocabulary will not get the job done of enabling us to know what love is. Is it possible with words to describe the great I AM? Then it is equally impossible to describe Love, for God is Love. God did not even try to describe love with words, because they were not good enough! So the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. To know Love we must know Jesus.
- Mike Wells
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