EVERY DAY

It wasn’t some massive wrenching pain. Just a twinge, but a familiar one. It was a slight pinch in my back that came in the midst of doing nothing of any great exertion. Simply stepping into the shower this time. I remember mumbling under my breath, “Uh oh.” I had become acquainted with this little zinger from past experiences. I did what I always do when he visits. I went about my day, trying to ignore the bit of stiffness and hoping that was the last I’d see of him.

The next morning my hopes were dashed when I could hardly get out of bed. The little zinger had turned into a striking dart overnight. I had been to this place with my little friend, as well. I knew what to do. Just be careful. Take it easy. This is the worst it gets…

Within two hours I was screeching from any movement at all. I thought, “If I could only lie down”, so I did. That ended with me sobbing uncontrollably, writhing and screeching until my husband came and raised me up. So I sat for hours straight up with a pillow folded behind my lower back, my head looking straight ahead and not touching anything. (There was one other incident when I tried to lay down again, which ended the same way as the first, my son being the hero this time.)

It’s amazing what can go through your mind at times of great suffering. In my case, nothing. At least nothing very productive or spiritual. The pain was akin to being electrocuted with a very hot, sharp knife over and over and I could barely think. I doubt I could have even recited the Lord’s Prayer at the time. Okay, I did have one spiritual experience. I thought fleetingly of who I could call to pray for me and felt checked by the Spirit not to. Just being honest here (We have to do that to get anywhere with God), I remember questioning God in my mind, “What could possibly be the purpose for this? I’m sitting here in horrible pain. I can’t get anything done and the worst part is, there’s no one to feel sorry for me because no one even knows!” As Anne of Green Gables would say, I was in the depths of despair.

So I sat. Everyone in the house went about their business and I sat. They would poke their heads in from time to time to see that I wasn’t jerking around on the floor spraying saliva. They made sure I was as comfortable as possible. I would follow them with my eyes, the only body parts I could move. When we are in great physical or emotional distress, there is only so much loved ones can do. Only so far they can go with us. The remainder of the journey becomes internal. We must draw on what we have stored up inside.

Toward evening I felt a real prayer coming on. Now I had been saying Jesus all day. Every time I would accidentally move the wrong way I would scream, “Jesus have mercy!”, or when I would take too deep a breath I would moan, “Oh my God.” But this was a real prayer. At first it only consisted of one word. “Jesus.” And then, “Jesus, take this pain away.” And then, “I praise you, Jesus.”

I was so exhausted from being in the same position all day that I chanced laying down again. There was pain, but no electrical surge. It felt so good to be able to relax my neck. I was laying there with my face toward the back of the couch when I heard the still, small voice, “This is exactly the reason that people should follow me every day. You never know when something will happen that you can’t make the decision.”

There it was. The reason. The lesson. I was relieved that there had been a purpose for the pain. I was embarrassed that I had not sought the Lord more in the midst of it. I was sobered to realize that people will be lost because they wait too late to call on God for help. They think they have enough time, money or resources. They think they can just reach inside themselves for strength, only to find they have nothing in reserve.

I once knew a lady who was not living for the Lord, but knew the Truth. I remember her telling me, “I know I’m not living for God now, but when the Rapture of the Church happens, I’ll do whatever I need to do to be saved.” She was speaking about enduring the Great Tribulation, Mark of the Beast, etc. I was young in the Lord and didn’t know what to say to her then.

Now I am reminded of Jeremiah 12:5, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how will thou do in the swelling of Jordan?”

And so I’m asking you the same question. If you can’t live for God on a daily basis, how will you live for Him when calamity and tragedy come? When you are faced with a life altering reality. If you are finding it difficult to walk with the Lord alongside the footmen of daily frustrations, how will you be able to run alongside the horsemen of chronic sickness or mental illness or bankruptcy or the death of a loved one? If you are finding it too much to serve the Lord while you have friends to serve Him with, how will you follow Him when those friends forsake you and the flood of oppression presses you?

The Christian’s walk with the Lord is a daily walk. With each step you are storing up faith, strength and relationship for the coming trials.  In his book, More Power To You, T. F. Tenney calls it “Divine Plodding.” One foot in front of the other. Every day. Every day. Every day.

THE HOLY GHOST

Receiving the Holy Ghost is the third step in the New Testament Born Again experience. Remember, (1) repentance symbolizes Jesus’ death, (2) baptism in Jesus’ name symbolizes His burial, and (3) receiving the Holy Ghost symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection. Just as Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins would be incomplete without all three natural elements, so would our salvation experience be incomplete without all three spiritual elements. Each one is essential to the whole.

The words “Holy Ghost” or “Holy Spirit” can be used interchangeably to describe this wonderful gift which is simply God dwelling inside of people. The same Spirit that dwelled in Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Father.

Only a select few ever knew God in the power of His Spirit in the Old Testament, but the prophets foretold of a time when He would pour out His Spirit on whosoever wanted it. A time when He would abide with them and in them.

Foretold In The Old Testament
“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” (Isaiah 28:11-12)

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29)


Foretold By John the Baptist
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (Matthew 3:11)

Foretold By Jesus
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39)

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

Fulfilled In The New Testament

On the Day of Pentecost, the Promise was fulfilled, as 120 people were gloriously filled with the Spirit of the Lord and began to speak in languages unknown to them. To the crowd that was gathered that day for the Feast of Pentecost, Peter explained, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;” (Acts 2:16)

From that day until this, throughout the New Testament, throughout the centuries and decades and years and last week and today, God is still pouring out the Holy Ghost on anyone who seeks Him with a whole heart.

BAPTISM IN JESUS' NAME

Is It Really Necessary?

Isn’t salvation granted by faith? Absolutely. Baptism does not destroy faith; it fulfills it. If a person truly has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then he or she will follow through with His commandments. Is it possible that a person can be a true believer and yet ignore Jesus’ very words?

It was Jesus, who at the Great Commission of His disciples just before His ascension, spoke these words, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16) The obvious implication being that a person who truly believes, will be baptized and a person who doesn’t truly believe, will not be baptized. And that it makes a difference to his salvation.

Let’s also consider the words that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John 3. He told him that unless a man was born again, he couldn’t see the kingdom of God. At Nicodemus’ confusion, Jesus clarified his statement by saying, “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) From this passage of scripture we learn that the born again experience is essential to our salvation and that it involves two elements, water and Spirit.

Moving into the Acts of the Apostles, we hear a very important message from Peter. Remember, Jesus gave Peter the “keys of the kingdom” in Matthew 16 because of his revelation of Jesus’ true identity. If anyone other than Jesus Himself should be able to say what steps are necessary to salvation, it would be Peter.

The crowd that was gathered on the Day of Pentecost heard Peter preach about Jesus and were “pricked in their hearts”, wanting to know what they could do to right the enormous wrong they had done by taking part in Jesus’ crucifixion. Peter was very emphatic when he stood up before the crowd that day and instructed them saying, “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) He summed up his oration with the words, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (Acts 2:40)

Peter also tells us in his first letter that just as humanity was saved by water in Noah’s day, so are we still saved by the water of baptism today. “…when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us…” (1 Peter 3:20-21)

Paul reminds us that when the Lord delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage by the hand of Moses, every one of them had to pass through the water of the Red Sea. Turning back from this water crossing would mean either death or a return to slavery. There was only one way to the Promise Land, and it required two elements: to travel under the cloud and through the water.

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Cor. 10:1-2)

Both Noah’s family and the children of Israel were saved by God’s mercy, but that salvation was still dependant on their obedience to the process He established. It makes one wonder, why believers today want so desperately to avoid the water and the Spirit.

Works

Many people avoid baptism, using as their excuse that baptism is not essential because we are not saved by our works.

When the Bible says we are not saved by works, it is speaking of good deeds, not baptism. Works of service are a natural extension of a Christian’s walk with the Lord and very much expected, but cannot be used as leverage to tip the scales in one’s favor for salvation.

Paul makes it very clear in Titus 3:5 by what process we are saved, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (The original greek word for washing used here is “loutron,” Strong’s 3067, meaning to bath or baptize). Baptism is not works, it is OBEDIENCE to the gospel.

The Formula For Baptism

Jesus sets the stage for the formula of baptism when He commissions His disciples in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Many ministers baptize by reciting these exact words over the person. But it is important to realize that Jesus wasn’t telling His disciples to say what He said, but to do what he said. They understood fully that He was instructing them to speak the name Jesus over those they baptized.

We know this is the case for two reasons: First, we know that Jesus is the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The only way the disciples could have fulfilled Jesus’ instructions was to baptize using His name.

Second, we can look through both scriptural and historical accounts and find that when the disciples baptized, they used Jesus’ name. Not one time does scripture record that they baptized reciting His titles. Either Jesus’ disciples understood Him to mean for them to speak His name when baptizing or all baptisms in the early church were administered incorrectly.

New Testament Accounts of Baptism

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost…Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:38, 41)

“Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)” (Acts 8:15, 16)

“And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 10:48)

“Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:4-5)

“And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

We Are Innocent By Association With His Name

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him in baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:3-5)

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

The Name of Jesus Is The Only Way

“Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”(Colossians 3:17)

It was Jesus’ precious blood that was shed for us. It was Jesus who hung on the cross in agony until the work was done and He could say, “It is finished.” It is Jesus to whom we owe our lives and our allegiance. If we claim Christianity, why wouldn’t we want to take on the name of Jesus Christ in baptism?

TRUE REPENTANCE

When he was a little boy, we were trying to teach our youngest son, Caleb, to say, “I’m sorry” when he did something wrong. This became a very eventful series of lessons because as he was trying to conquer this new level of manners, he would spontaneously go up to his older brother, Logan, punch him on whatever body part was most accessible, and then yell, “SORRY!”

Over and over this would happen because in Caleb’s mind, he was learning the correct usage of a new word. His parents, however, (and Logan) wanted him to feel the word. We wanted him to feel the conviction, the remorse, the contrition and the humbleness that true repentance brings. We wanted him to actually be sorry, not to just say sorry. We also wanted him to stop doing the thing that he was continually having to be sorry for, and especially not to pre-meditate the act. Lots to learn here.

True Repentance Is The Death Of Self.

In repentance, we associate ourselves with Jesus’ death. Jesus was God in flesh. We often focus on Him being God, but not so much on him being flesh. He was a man who felt desires, temptations, emotions and distractions, having to make the daily decision of whether to follow the leading of the Spirit of God that dwelled in him, or whether to cater to the flesh in which he was clothed.

It is no different for us today. Regardless of the trial, temptation, addiction or emotion, we must follow Jesus’ example in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:39 says he, “fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

True Repentance Is Brokenness.

Pride cannot repent. Arrogance cannot be humble. If we desire God’s forgiveness, then we must allow His Spirit access to our hearts. We must allow ourselves to be broken in His Presence. Repentance is not a simple, “I’m sorry”. It is an honesty before God. It is an opening up and a purging out. It is an awareness of His Holiness and our smallness. It is seeing ourselves in the light of His Word. It is crying out like King David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23)

True Repentance Is A Turning Away.

To continue to do a thing that you know is wrong, and ask God to forgive you, knowing that you will do that thing again if given the opportunity, is not true repentance. To pre-meditate on doing a thing, planning ahead of time to ask God to forgive you, is not true repentance. True repentance is a conscious decision to turn away from sin and live a life that is pleasing before God. After a person takes that initial step, a lifetime of commitment should follow. You might be wondering how it is possible to live from this point on without sinning. Jesus did, while living in a body just like yours. Hebrews 4:14 says He, “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

What if I slip up? What if I make a mistake? I have great news for you! Jesus, our wonderful Savior, is full of mercy and compassion. His greatest desire is to bring us into, and keep us in, a saving relationship with Him. The Apostle John says in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."  We all make mistakes. Just remember that making a mistake is not the same as willful sin. God knows the very thoughts and intents of our hearts. Repentance should be a regular occurrence in our lives, not a one time thing. The Apostle Paul explained it best when he proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die daily.”

True Repentance Is The Christian Way.

No matter who you are or what you have done, good or bad, a repentant heart is essential to your salvation. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”

No matter where you are now or where you want to go on your journey with Christ, repentance is the key to moving forward in that relationship. “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

THE CHURCH THAT JESUS BUILT

When I think about this Church that I'm a part of, I'm thankful that I know it's roots. The Church that Jesus built is Pre-Catholic, Pre-Protestant, Pre-Reformation and Pre-Denomination. The Church that Jesus built is laid upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, Jesus Himself being the Chief Cornerstone.

The Church that Jesus built was birthed on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after His resurrection. Moments before Jesus' ascension, He instructed His disciples to go and wait in Jerusalem until they were indued with a gift that would give them power to continue the ministry which He had begun.

As instructed, they along with a group of Jesus' followers, (the total being 120 souls) gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem, praying and waiting for what they were not sure. After ten days, the book of Acts records that as they were there together they heard the sound as of a rushing mighty wind that filled all the house where they were assembled. They saw flames of fire upon each others' heads and as they were in awe of what they were hearing and seeing, they began to praise God verbally and speak in languages that were unknown to them as His Spirit came to dwell inside clay vessels.

The Apostle Peter preached a message to those who were gathered outside in the streets of Jerusalem, being assembled from surrounding areas for the Feast of Pentecost. This was the first message to the Church that Jesus built. It was preached by the man to whom Jesus Himself gave the Keys of the Kingdom in Matthew 16:19. A man who was later martyred, as were all of the Apostles save John (and he not for the lack of effort). A man who willingly laid down his life for this very message and the name of Jesus Christ.

Peter preached Jesus to the crowd that day. His death, burial and resurrection. Scripture says the people were pricked in their hearts when they realized they had taken part in crucifying the Lord of Glory. What could they do? How could they be saved after this heinous act they had participated in?

With authority, Peter took out the keys that Jesus had given him and unlocked the salvation message for the crowd that day. It's recorded in Acts 2:38-40.

38"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation."

1. Repentance = Jesus' Death
2. Baptism in Jesus' Name = Jesus' Burial
3. Receiving the Holy Ghost = Jesus' Resurrection

This is the message of the Church that Jesus built.

IT'S WHAT WE DO ON SUNDAYS.

Yesterday was Sunday. The Lord's Day. Many people were participating in various forms of entertainment or perhaps simply relaxing at home, recuperating from a hard work week. My family was in Church. It's what we do on Sundays.

It was such a spectacular service, that I must tell it. At one point, I was just basking in God's presence, singing along with the music with my eyes closed. I opened my eyes and the reality of the goodness of God overwhelmed me.

The congregation was worshiping around me, each in their own way. My two youngest children were on either side of me, one lifting his hands to the Lord, the other bowing her head in reverence. My oldest son was playing the keyboard on the platform, tears streaming down his face. My husband was behind the pulpit, encouraging everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to praise their Creator. It's what we do on Sundays.

I wish that I could type "laughter" without it seeming trivial. Because laughter is what I felt...Holy Ghost joy...the realization that my family could be anyplace, doing anything...but we were in Church, meeting with God together. It's what we do on Sundays.

I went to the altar to pray for someone else, but as I raised my hands to worship the Lord, He began to move on me. As I prayed in that Heavenly Language, I felt my son's hands on either side of my head. He had left the keyboard, come off the platform and was praying for his mother. Waves of Holy Ghost cascaded over me and through me and out of me. Pouring, purging, cleansing, sloshing.

When we left the church house yesterday, the hard situations in my life had not changed. My problems were not different, but I was different. I had touched God and he had touched me. He had refreshed, rejuvenated and restored joy, hope and peace in my soul. Oh, the power of an Apostolic, Holy Ghost service! It's what we do on Sundays.

ON PURPOSE

When I walk down the street or enter a room, It pleases me to know that people recognize immediately that I am a Christian. Is she? Isn’t she? Nothing to wonder about here. The first glance, the first impression hopefully sends a clear message…This person is different. This person has convictions. This person recognizes that she is called to a High Calling with a Holy Savior.

The way that I look is not the result of an affiliation with a denomination, a congregation, nor an organization. It is from a deep, personal desire to search out and become what pleases my Lord, Jesus the Christ. I want people to know that I am His.

When I was a very young child, between the ages of four to seven, I can remember the Lord impressing upon me not to do a certain thing. From those earliest times of Him dealing with my heart, I have wanted to know Him, to please Him. When I was a junior in high school, He found me. I did not find Him, as He was never lost. It was me who was lost and pitifully undone without Him, needing a Savior…And what a Savior He is!

Since I repented of my sins, was baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of those sins and was gloriously filled with His Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues, I have failed him many times…but He has never once failed, nor forsook me. Because of this, I will love Him, serve Him and allow him to fashion me in whatever way He pleases.

I hunger after Him, and so I feed on His Word daily. I thirst after Him, and so I drink from His Spirit daily. I aspire to have His Nature, and so I follow after Holiness daily. I desire His Mercy, and so I seek His Face in Repentance daily. I long for His Blessing, and so I position myself under His almighty Hand. Daily.

Ma’am, Sir …Do not feel sorry for me. Make no mistake. I look the way I look, act the way I act, do the things I do and refrain from doing other things on purpose. The purpose being this: I won’t be satisfied until I am like Him.

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” (Psalm 17:15)