“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house (temple); his hands shall also finish it; and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you. 10. For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
Many of the Israelites were disappointed because the temple being rebuilt by Zerubbabel was not as large as Solomon’s temple. Zechariah wanted them to know that the size of the new temple was not important. (After all, the God of the temple was as large after the Babylonian Captivity as He was before.)The point is that small things are as important to God as large things. This includes people and churches. Let’s look at the importance of small things. It is true that small things are often of great importance. Evidently, scientists know this, because the microscope was invented to combat small germs that can cause great harm. Naturalists know this, because they know that great oak trees grow from small acorns. Do you remember what Jesus said about the tiny mustard seed? Firemen know this, because they know that large fires often are the result of a tiny spark. In the same way, small churches can do great things for the Lord. Individual Christians might seem inconsequential to the world, but we can accomplish great things for the Lord. After all, we serve a great God who can take small things and use them mightily. Do you remember that Jesus started His church with twelve men who were small in the eyes of the world? Do not consider yourself too small to serve our great God! Did you know that Jesus knew the value of small things? In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus spoke of the tiny sparrow. If God looks out for small sparrows, surely He cares for us as well. At least Jesus thought so, for He said: “You are of more value than many sparrows.” In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus spoke of a widow who put only two mites into the treasury. This appeared to be a small gift, but Jesus didn’t think so. Here is what Jesus said about it: “Verily I say unto you that this poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury, for they all cast in out of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus took a little meal of five small loaves of bread and two fish and fed 5,000 people. Small things become large things in the hand of Jesus, and that includes you and me. We need to know the value of small things. You might think that you are only one small, inconsequential person, but the Lord who valued the widow’s mite and five loaves and two fish, values your life, and your input, as well. You might think that your church is only a small church and not able to do great work for the Lord. Remember that the God of your church is as great as the God of the largest church in the world. The Jesus who fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish is the Jesus of your church! You can do great things right where you are, if you will put yourself at His disposal. Do you get the point? As a small temple was not a detriment to God’s work among the Israelites, small people and small churches are not a detriment to His work. Small things are useless only when they are content to do small things!!!!! Bro. Joe
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(I reached back in the archives for this one. I hope that it will bless and encourage you.)
“Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and love which you have for all the saints, 5. for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel…” The idea for this post came up when I heard a gospel song by the same title. It is true that “everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” If we really believe that there is “hope laid up for us in heaven,” why would we not want to die to get there? After all, Jesus said of heaven, “That where I am there you may be also.” It is in heaven that we will spend eternity with Jesus. Paul wrote: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Why wouldn’t we want to be absent from the body? I think that I can explain the reasoning behind this dilemma – if that’s what it is. In the first place, life on earth is a gift from God. When God created Adam and Eve, “He breathed the breath of life into (their) nostrils.” In other words, this life that we have here and now was given to us by the breath of God Himself. This is why we reverence life. I think that the people who enjoy this life more than anyone else are those of us who recognize that we have life in the first place because of the will of God. Every breath that we take is a gift from God. All of the great Old and New Testament saints had a reverence for life on this earth and they lived life to the fullest. It is my opinion that I enjoy life because I know that it is God’s gift to me. In the second place, we are not given life on earth just to take up space. We are born into this life for a purpose, or for the purposes of God. At this point you might be thinking: “But not everybody realizes or cares about God’s purpose for their lives.” That’s not God’s problem. Not every person in the Bible lived for God’s purpose, but that doesn’t mean that God didn’t have a purpose for their lives. Jeremiah had a unique testimony about God’s purpose for his life: “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations.” Another example of this would be the Apostle Paul. With all that he did before becoming a Christian, do you think that God did not have an ultimate plan for Paul's life? Even while he was persecuting Christ’s people, the call of God was upon his life and it came to fruition on the Damascus Road. Could Paul have gone his own way? I’m sure that he could have, but he didn’t – thank God. Moses was eighty years old before he realized God’s purpose for his life. Seeing what his ultimate purpose was –to lead the Israelites out of Egypt – it probably took God eighty years to prepare him for that task. Moses didn’t just take up space on earth to tend his father in law’s sheep. There was a purpose for him in the heart of God. That leads me to challenge you to consider what God’s great purpose for your life might be. It could be that He wants you to be the best doctor, insurance agent, lawyer, factory worker, farmer, or the best husband, wife, father, mother, etc. that you can be and lead people to the Lord. Life will have more meaning when you know that you are realizing God’s purpose(s) for your life. In the third place, life here is but a prelude to what we have in store for us in heaven. That is for those who have put their faith in Jesus. There is another eternity to deal with, but our purpose is to deal with what God has in store for believers. The Bible promises life after this life, but it does little to describe it for us. We couldn’t understand it if the Bible did try to fully describe it for us. It is enough for me that Jesus has prepared a place for each of us and that He will be there. The fact is that we have to have life here and now to have life by and by. That’s why I say that this is a prelude. It is my prayer that you have given your present life to Jesus in order to have the eternity with Him that only He can give, and that you are realizing God's purpose(s) for your life here and now. Bro. Joe “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He, who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law….”
James is telling his readers to be careful what they say to each other. We should always speak wisely. What does it mean to speak wisely? Would I want said about me what I am about to say about someone else? We would really like to think that people only say great things about us, but we know that this isn’t always true. I mentioned to a lady in one of my churches that I would like to have a device that would enable me to hear what people are saying about me. She said, “No you wouldn’t…” Well, would you want said about you what you say about others? Would I want said to me what I am about to say to someone else? It would be good that when we say ugly things to people, the words could boomerang and come back and slap us in the face. I love the counsel given by Proverbs 25:11: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” When we speak to each other we need to make sure that our words are “fitly spoken.” Our words should be used to actually help people; therefore, we should try to make sure that what we say to people, negative or positive, will actually help them. Proverbs 12:25 comes to mind: “Heaviness in the heart of a man (or woman) makes it stoop: but a good word makes it glad.” A good word at the right time has done me a lot of good over the years, and I hope I have reciprocated with good words to others. Would I say to, or about, someone what I am about to say in the presence of Jesus? (Whoa!!!) That does set the bar high!!! We need to remember that Jesus actually is present when we speak to, or about, each other. Perhaps before we speak to someone else, we should imagine that Jesus is standing there. This would really help us to choose our words more carefully. Will what I am about to say make the person to whom I am speaking a better person? Jesus spoke negative and positive things to people, but whatever He said would have make their lives better if they had listened. If the Pharisees had listened to Jesus, they would certainly have been better people. I hope that what I have written has been “fitly written,” and will make you think about what you say to and about people. Bro. Joe “My soul, wait you only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.” "8. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
When you pray can you pray with David “my expectation is from Him”? What do you expect God to do in answer to your prayers? Give some thought to this question as you read this article. When you ask God to forgive you for your sins, do you really believe that He hears you and will actually forgive you? God’s forgiveness is a precious promise to us from the Bible and we need to receive it as gospel. Do you believe that He will forgive you for the worst sin that you have committed? If you come to Him in repentance for sin, God will hear and He will forgive you. If He forgave David, He will forgive you. 1 John 1:9 is still true: “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You can take that as gospel truth. Jesus died on the cross to make it possible. When you ask for Christ’s presence in your life, do you really believe that He is with you in every aspect of your life? Hebrews 13:5 gives us this promise: “Let your conversation/conduct we without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” When you pray, you know that Jesus is with you, listening to, and answering, your prayer. Christ’s presence in our lives gives us full assurance, and helps us to watch how we live in His presence. When you ask Jesus to make you His witness to the world by the way you live, do you really believe it? He has empowered us to be His witnesses, and we can believe that He will use our lives to be His witness. People will hear our words, if they see them lived out in our lives. Do you believe that when you ask Him, the Lord will make your life a witness at the places where you work, play, shop, and etc.? Believe that the Lord will use your life as surely as He used the apostles in the New Testament. Pray, today, for your life to reflect Jesus to the world. What prayer request do you have on your heart today? Are you praying for a friend? Are you praying for a brother or sister? Are you praying for an illness that you are experiencing? There is no end to prayer requests. When you pray, expect God to answer you according to His will, and to bless your life with His answer! Bro. Joe “And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
I want to share an idea that is certainly not unique with me, that is to pray from the scriptures. Instead of trying to explain it, I will just dive into it and show you what I mean In Luke 11:9 Jesus gave a promise: “Ask and it shall be given you…” This is a great promise that comes with two suggestions. We are to seek in order to find. When we pray we need to seek in faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He is hearing our prayer and that He will answer our prayer. We are to “knock” and the door of prayer will be opened. We are also told, however in scripture that we must depend on the will of God. John clarifies this for us in 1 John 5:14: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.” This does not mean that God will not answer our prayer, but His answer will be better than what we asked. Next, Romans 8:28 is a good prayer promise: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” To cut through a lot of questions, if you are a true believer in Jesus Christ you are among the called. The prayer promise here is that God is working all of the things that are happening in your life, good or bad, ultimately for your good. You can trust when you go to God in prayer that He is working “all things” to your good. What a great promise this is!!! Finally, I refer to Ephesians 3:14-16 as a prayer promise: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. 16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.” We go to the Lord in prayer not just for our supposed needs, but we go to Him to receive from Him the “riches of His glory.” From these riches we receive the strength of the Holy Spirit in our inner lives – in our souls. God’s answers to prayers meet our innermost spiritual needs as well as our physical needs. There are many other prayer promises in the Bible, but these have been a blessing to me. At least give them a try. Read and meditate on them !!!! Bro. Joe “Quench not the Spirit…”
What does it mean to “quench the Spirit”? “Quench” means to extinguish, or to cool. (The American Century Dictionary) The NIV translates it: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire…” That defines what it means to put out the fire of the Holy Spirit as He tries to work through our lives. Following are my thoughts on the subject: We can quench the Spirit’s fire in our personal lives. We can get so caught up with what is going on around us that we ignore the Spirit’s urging. Satan is always at work in our lives to call our attention away from the Spirit. We can quench the Spirit by ignoring His urging in our hearts and minds. Satan wants to convince us that we are too busy with “other things” to do as the Spirit leads. We can just be so tired with the trials of life that we get spiritually indifferent. How do I know so much about this? Well, I’ve been dealing with it for at least the fifty six years that I have been in the ministry. Pay attention to what the Spirit is planting in your heart and mind, and well… just do it! What, or who, is the Spirit planting in your heart and mind? We can quench the Spirit in our worship in church services. What kind of attitude do you carry into worship in your church? I remember having a church leader tell me one Sunday as we were waiting to go into the sanctuary of the church that I was visiting to preach: “Well, let’s go on in and get it over with.” I thought, “Man that dude is really going to worship today.” I remember one time years ago when I was preaching, I was about to make a salient point and one of the men let out a big yawn… I thought “man, he’s ready to hear what God wants him to hear.” Think about the attitude that you carry into public worship in your church. Could you be quenching the Spirit by your attitude and by your inattentiveness to what the Spirit is doing in the service? We can quench the Spirit by not expecting anything in our private or public worship. When you get up on Sunday and get ready for church, what are you thinking? Do you think that God might do a mighty work in the service – at least in your life? I have been convinced by the Lord that when I preach His word as He wants me to preach it, He is going to do something in someone’s life whether I know about it or not. I just believe that the Spirit is going to plant a seed in somebody’s life!!! That changed my whole attitude in preaching. I don’t just think that God is using me in these couch potato articles---I know that He is. I just don’t want to quench the Spirit in my life or in my public worship. Join me in that attitude! Bro. Joe “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me ; 27. And you shall bear witness (testify), because you have been with me from the beginning.”
In these verses, Jesus was preparing His disciples for His ascension. This is His promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit. The word “comforter” is the translation of the Greek word Paraclete. There are three applications of this word that can describe the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. First, it can be translated “Counselor.” The Holy Spirit is our counselor, which means He is our source of wisdom. When we serve the Lord, we do not serve in the wisdom of the flesh; rather we serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. We do not innately have the wisdom that we will need in our service, but He will furnish us with the wisdom of God. Also, as our counselor, He will give us our direction. This means directions of how we should serve Him, based on the gifts that the Spirit gives. He also gives us the direction of where we should serve. There are many different ways, and many different places to serve the Lord. Seek His counsel for your life so that you will do the right thing in the right place in your service for the Lord. Second, it can be translated “Intercessor.” This is our source of comfort in our service for the Lord. Here is what Paul told us this intercessory ministry in Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: But the Spirit makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. 27. And He searches the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints (all believers) according to the will of God.” Again, we are reminded that we are not in this service alone, for we have been given the wisdom, power and accompaniment of the Holy Spirit. Third, it can be translated “Helper.” This is our source of victory. Just before He ascended back to the Father, Jesus gave them this promise in Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." He told them in John 15:27 that they would testify for Him under the power of the Holy Spirit. This did not end with Jesus’ original followers. It is also a promise to us. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is your counselor, your intercessor and your helper. Rejoice! And pause now and thank Jesus for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Bro. Joe "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. 19. If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Being a Christian is not a popularity contest. Jesus promised that the world would hate us because of Him. (Hey, I didn’t say it; Jesus said it.) The “world” is the world system under the control of Satan. So don’t be surprised if the world does not “rise up and call you blessed” – so to speak. First, because of this, we need to live the Christian life in order for the world to respect, but if not love us. Many in the world just do not believe in Jesus, and think that we are ignorant because we do believe in Him. Many are just not sure whether Jesus exists or not, so He does not matter, and we just get in their way, or irritate them because of our commitment to Jesus. Many do not want to believe in Jesus because He would get in the way of what they want to do. Again, we just get in their way. If we truly live for Jesus, the world will hate us. If you do not believe it, just shout “Jesus” in a crowded room of strangers and see how they react. Second, this does not mean that we can hate the world. Jesus loved the world enough to die for it, and we should love the people in the world, not the world system, because Jesus told us to love people. In John 15:17, Jesus said, “These things I command you, that you love one another.” He did not mean for us just to love our fellow Christians, but to love those who hate what we stand for. In fact, in 1 John 4:8, John reminds us: “He that loves not does not know God: for God is love.” John added in 4:20: “If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen.” Third, we have to live in the tension of a world that hates us, and at the same time witness to that world. We have to love people enough to set the example of the love and care of Jesus in order for them to see Jesus in us. This does not mean that we surrender to the demands of the world. We will have to take a stand for Jesus at some point in our Christian pilgrimage, but we should do it out of love, not out of hatred. We can hate the ways of the world, but we must, must, love the people of the world. Jesus died for them too. We just need to let Jesus love them through us. I cannot tell you how to do it. And, frankly, it’s not easy, but the Spirit of God can teach us to love. Pray about it!!!! Bro. Joe "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask you will, and it shall be done unto you."
We will “abide” in something or someone. In John 15 Jesus teaches the importance of abiding in Him. This means that, by grace and faith, He is living in us through the Holy Spirit. Where, or in whom, do you abide? (Definition of abide: "endure, remain, continue." American Century Dictionary) Jesus said, “If you abide in me…” Abiding in Jesus means to depend upon Him for the security, satisfaction and joys, et al, of our lives. When we depend upon the things of this world for these things, we will be insecure and unsatisfied. The world’s song will ever be “I don’t get no satisfaction.” We must find our rest in eternity, which means to rest in Jesus. Jesus told us: “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) This invitation is to those who will receive it. Jesus said, “And my words abide in you…” Where we find the words of Jesus is in the Bible, particularly in the four gospels. Every Christian should constantly read the four gospels and get down in our hearts and minds the words and work of Jesus when He was in the flesh. For example, we should be familiar with what He taught in what we call “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7. In these chapters, Jesus taught what our relationship to God and what our human relationships should entail. What I have covered is but a minuscule look at what it means to abide in Jesus’ words, but it is a start. Suffice it to say that your relationship with Jesus will be directly deepened by your relationship with scripture. Jesus gave a promise that goes with abiding in Him and in His word: “You shall ask what you will, and it shall be given you.” It is in relationship with Jesus that our prayers are answered. Jesus answers our prayers. He also answers our prayers in accordance with His will and in accordance what our real needs are. He always answers our prayers. We might not recognize His answer sometimes because we think that He would give us our whims instead of our real needs. I have found that His answers to my prayers have come in answer to my real needs, not my perceived needs. (I could possibly write a book on this subject alone.) Trust Jesus to answer your prayers if you will abide in Him. In what, or in whom, do you abide? Jesus wants you to answer this question by inviting Him to abide in your life. Bro. Joe “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
I thought of my own walk with Jesus as I read this, and I hope that you will do the same as we think together about hearing Jesus. Do we hear Jesus in our daily lives? Ask yourself as you face each day, do you think about what Jesus wants you to do on that day? Are the decisions about what you do with your time have anything to do with what Jesus might want? I’m not referring to being religious. I’m referring to being obedient in every day things. Jesus certainly wants our attention as we deal with people. For example, He might be saying to us that instead of arguing with that cantankerous cashier, we might smile and wish him or her well. Hearing and obeying Jesus is not, as they say, “rocket science.” He saved you and made you His witness, and He wants to use you in that way. Listen to that “still small voice” in your heart and mind and obey it. Do you hear the voice of Jesus? Do we live each day with the understanding that Jesus knows us? Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” Think about how wonderful it is that the God of the universe knows us. If some famous person knows us, we want other people to know it. I played high school baseball with a friend who played in the major leagues. I wanted people to know that he knew me. At the time, that seemed important. But what is even more important is that Jesus knows me. This is true for all of us who know Him as Savior. Jesus knows everything about us and loves us anyway. It should make a difference to us each day that we are aware that Jesus knows us and knows what we are doing. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” It should be important to us that we follow Jesus. We need to think about our lives: Do people know that we are followers of Jesus by the way we act and by the way we talk? I honestly try to remind myself of this as I encounter people. When people meet us, see how we act and hear how we talk, would they be surprised if they found out we were Christians? There have been times in my life when I had to do some tall repenting because I knew that I didn’t act like a follower of Jesus. If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we need to act, as closely as we can, like Him. Listen for the voice of Jesus. Realize that you know that Jesus knows you. Realize everyday that you are His follower. Bro. Joe |
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