More For His People

Matthew 9:17 - Nor do they put new wine into old wine skins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Jeremy Prochazka evangelized a message for us Sunday. It was for our church but certainly for any other church desiring more of God. God has something deeper for those who desire it. He's never done. He's never done teaching or revealing. His mysteries are endless...for those who seek them. We can never have enough of Him. We are to search out the deeper things of God. And if we do He will not disappoint.

Jeremy told us he was grabbing a bite to eat on his drive to Milwaukee from Russellville, Arkansas. The music in the fast food restaurant was loud enough to hear the lyrics. The words were by the Rolling Stones: I can't get no satisfaction. It hit him like it might for many: that seems to be the way of life for many. Never satisfied. Always wanting more, searching for something but nothing totally satisfies.

Well, hey...we can be satisfied in Christ. He will fulfill our desires. Just not as one would think. When we continually seek the things of God, seek what He deems best, we WILL be satisfied. And yet...there is this endless supply. If we continually seek His things, we will never be full, but satisfied! He always has more. That excites me because it's the kind of thing I want to keep searching for. It's like an urging for more. And that more is the better thing!!

When we come to Christ we become new persons. The old man is dead. A new person now lives. Jeremy shared a song with us...The Old Man is Dead. This old man has left his past and now seeks new and better things. Like the scripture above states, you can't put new wine in old wineskins. We can't put the same old stuff into our new man without corrupting it. We choose to be new. We remember where we came from and choose not to go back.

I have heard that if we feel we have lost touch with God, we should go back to the last time you felt a touch from Him. Sometimes that's going back to the day of surrendering to Christ. That day we knew that we knew! But Jeremy pointed out we don't need to go back that far. We can consider what we were yesterday or two weeks ago when we had a touch from God. We just always move forward. It made me think about how just reading His Word and seeing something new, or getting a different or additional insight into a scripture any given day, maybe even a few minutes ago, is also part of that moment in time. We just keep growing and going forward. We press on...toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

God always has more for us. It reminded me of something similar another evangelist said a few weeks ago: God's grace does not grow, it is complete; we just see more of it. We can't take God's grace too far or have too much. He has an endless supply for His people (Tyler Owens). 

God always has more of something. He is eternal, endless, has more than we can imagine. He's willing to give as we desire to receive. We must become like the new wineskin. That means becoming new in Christ first of all. If we become complacent, set in our ways, feeling we have gone as far as possible, then we have become as dry as an old wine skin! We have become dry and brittle  and need refreshing. Like the way old wineskins were treated, we need to be soaked in water and rubbed in oil. Today, however, we are refreshed by Jesus, the Living Water, and filled by His Spirit, symbolized by oil.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? ... (2Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬, Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18-19)

Two Steps Forward

Psalm 16:11 - You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

I have been silent for awhile. I have had to make two very big decisions and isn't it odd they would come at the same time! Two steps forward, even though they might for a time seem like steps you wouldn't want to take at all. You wish they just didn't have to be. While I'm not exactly ready to reveal them, I think I can at least express my feelings about them. Perhaps you have decisions to make and wonder what might happen if you do.

Those who know Jesus knows He opens doors and closes them as well as gives and takes. Most people don't even realize when doors are being opened and closed. They just figure it's part of life. Others don't realize that God is the One who gives and takes away. But when you know Jesus, you can also know that He is right there beside you.

When you know the One who orders our steps, although there can be a bit of trepidation, you can also trust the Person guiding those steps. We who trust in the Lord know that even though the steps we must continue to take in life are sometimes hard, there is always something good on the other side.

God never wants us to just remain content where we are. He is always urging us to move forward, to press on in Him for the prize. He always wants us to grow in Him. Of course there are things in life that are not always God-centered, but also a part of what He has given to us. He gives…and He can take away.

I just know that going through the difficult times is part of the journey. Sometimes we go through to come out in victory. Sometimes we are removed immediately from something and are victorious. Sometimes we are victorious even if we are not taken out of the circumstance. With God we are victorious. Period.

With God, the grass is always greener on the other side of "whatever" because we can trust Him to guide, protect and comfort. Psalm 23 has several comforting verses: He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...(verses 2,3,6). In Him these things hold true.

We are called by faith to follow Him and trust Him with whatever we are going through or wherever He wants us to go. If we knew everything that was laid out before us, where would the trust in Him be? He builds us up in our faith and trust when we don't see what's on the other side. If we take the first step to do this He will guide, restore, give goodness and mercy, and give us green pastures in which to rest.

Sometimes issues of life will draw us closer to Him, too. It's like resting in that green pasture. Praise our God that He longs for us all to do this!

If there is something of which you are in the midst, trust Him for the outcome. If you know Jesus as Lord and Savior, it's easier to trust. If you don't know Jesus, now is the time to take the opportunity to do so. It's as easy as calling on Him to make Himself known to you. If you are sincere in your request this is what you will realize: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) His desire is for you to know Him, know His love, know His mercy, know His faithfulness in all your circumstances and know that in Him you will have victory.

1Corinthians 15:57 - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Know His Sufferings

Philippians 3:10-11 - that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

I'm blown away again by how God works, how He gets me thinking me in advance of what is about to be revealed. I had part of this blog written last week but something was missing. I'd not quite finished it. During church yesterday I was able to complete this. God is so good. I'll try to piece the two together...

Our interim pastor, Paul Hanson, spoke his first sermon and it spoke volumes. He spoke on the Commitment to Press On. As a church we are in transition and Hanson has stepped in until we find a new pastor to lead this flock. In a nutshell he spoke about pressing on...toward the goal God has for each of us as individuals and as a church. Part of the sermon was on suffering...we all go through it, the church has gone through it, but we are not to keep that in the forefront of our mind.

Pressing on...toward knowing Christ...not learning about Him, but experiencing Him. This has got to be one of the most difficult things to explain. I've said it several times...it's not just about knowing who Jesus is but really knowing Him with every fiber of our being. The definition of knowing according to Hanson is come to know. It's an ongoing thing. It's not just hearing about Him and saying we know who He is. It's getting to a place in life when you desire to know Him, to sense His presence...to experience Him...to know His power.

Pressing on...to know God's will for each of us and again as a church. We each have talents. It's recognizing them and using them for God's glory. It doesn't need to be anything great, just walking the path God has put before us.

Pressing of the past and the future...forgetting the past and moving forward. Gee, I think I wrote about that already... But Hanson gave us the meaning of forget: it means to neglect--to no longer allow ourselves to feed whatever it is we should let go of. And then he told us this is how God sees those who have accepted Christ and have been washed by His blood. He no longer sees our sin. Hard to comprehend, but I'm believing it.

So the one thing he discussed was the phrase "the fellowship of sharing in His suffereings." And that was what I had started to blog. I've mentioned how Adam and Eve lived with toil and pain after their fall. So it is with us. However, Jesus came to be an example. "Follow Me," He tells us. The meaning of suffering is passion. Yes, passion. It's knowing the will of God. For Jesus God's will was to die for us. He sacrificed His own life. What is our will? One, to sacrifice ourselves for Him. Two, to know His will, which if accepted properly will be a sacrifice. And for all believers that is to show others the magnificence of who God is. 

Life will not be without suffering even for true Christians. Suffering can be part of our sacrifice. Suffering can be others rejecting what we have to say about Jesus, just like so many rejected what Jesus had to say about Himself. And I believe trials are there for us to look to God for strength...and to let others see our attitude and behavior as we go through a difficult time. Will others see the strength of Christ in us or will they see a person whose beliefs are weak when trouble comes? Suffering came out of disobedience and we won't get out of it. Christ came to help us through this suffering...because He's already gone through it all. He's the one who brings peace in the midst of trials.

Suffering, I think, can mean pressing on in a supernatural strength. I've seen people in our church who look defeated...week after week. Some grouse about their situations. There are others who never show their pain...they may feel it but it doesn't own them.  It's for a time but with God's help the mourning turns to dancing. If people are in Christ, truly counting on Him, there will be an inner joy--the joy of the Lord. And it means pressing on with life despite what life deals us. 

Either I have not experienced grief so unbearable or I bounce back quickly. I just don't know. I may go through troubling times but I think I get over it. There may be many mini-griefs but they're short-lived. I would like to believe this is the joy of the Lord, the peace that passes all understanding. I would hope I am gathering up the strength each day.

Pastor Hanson began the sermon by stating that commitment is liberating. What freedom is there in masking the troubles of life with alcohol or drugs? When we commit ourselves to Christ it is freeing. This so goes against the beliefs of some who think following Christ is a crutch. What are drugs and alcohol? I don't know what people who cannot get past their defeated attitudes need to do if they are adhering to the words of Jesus. I so hope that if I am in a situation where the trials truly come I will remember my words, no, Jesus' words...that I will turn to the Lord for my strength...and remember that as I suffer, I am sharing in His sufferings.

John 16:33 - [Jesus said] "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will  have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."