I AM SENDING YOU...

to open their eyes

and turn them from darkness to light

 and from the power of Satan to God

so that they may receive forgiveness of sins

and a place among those who are

sanctified by faith in Me.

Acts 25.18

Paul's mission is our mission:

                                     "To open their eyes"

By showing others what we see. 

We cannot show others anything that we have not seen ourselves,

so we must seek help in seeing the beams in our eyes,

our own destructive blindnesses of thoughts,

motives, attitudes, words, and behavior,

 and then the transforming glory of God

 seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

When we see others as Jesus sees them,

           moved with compassion for them as Jesus is,

                like sheep without a shepherd,

                           weak, helpless, hopeless, weary, burdened, burned out,                             troubled, anxious, fearful, angry, lonely, unloved, unlovable, 

                           unwanted, rejected, failed and failing, addicted, depressed,

                           oppressed, scorned, shamed/ashamed, abandoned,

                           betrayed, forsaken, abused, victimized--and blind....

then...

we can help them to see...

to see their darkness.

When they see their darkness,

              they will want light....

                     light we will be able to show them.......

As they see the light of God's goodness,

                  His

                      Compassion,

                      Graciousness,

                      Patience

                      Love

                      Faithfulness

                      Forgiveness,

                      Justice 

they can choose

            to leave their darkness,

                         their deadness 

                                   their death,

Satan's powers,

      deceptions and destructions and deaths.....

for God's life of

       love,

             joy,

                 and peace.

Then we can help

                    stabilize their faith,

                    establish them in faithfulness,

                    provide strength, encouragement,
                           and comfort,

We can help them grow in grace

             and realization of the gloriousness of

                                      our Lord,

                                           our Savior,

                                               Jesus,

                                                   the Christ.

We can teach them how to pray, effectivley and fervently, 

       in Jesus' Name,

therefore for His and our Father's Glory,

       

           how to abide moment by moment in their presence,

with the power of the Holy Spirit

                 providing wisdom for every thought, word, and deed,

And, we can teach them

how to study

      so they find the good pleasing perfect will of God

           for their life on earth before Heaven,

      so they become a workman

                 hearing "Well done,"

                 having learned to use the Word of God,

                               the sword of the Spirit

                                 that analyzes and purifies

                                                  the thoughts and motives of the heart

producing good words and actions from

                 love.....

                          produced in our hearts......

                                       by the Holy Spirit......

And all of this
                         now
                                      and
                                                  forever. 

THE GOSPEL IN LEVITICUS?!

Danny Drefke let me stay in his ranch house near Medina, Tx., a few weeks ago.  Arriving on Sunday afternoon, I began my four days there with God in the book  of Leviticus, telling God that I had never seen much of value for me in any of my previous readings.  Now, several weeks later, I have gotten only so far as chapter ten in this reading.

Amazingly, there is much about the presence and purposes of the Lord Jesus to be found verse after verse in this very neglected book.

The flyleaf of Philip Yancey's book, The Bible Jesus Read, says that the church here today has the notion that "the Old Testament isn't worth taking the time to read and understand."  His book sets out to correct that impression.  Amazingly, the amazing Lord Jesus showed up in my heart as I began this very neglected book of the neglected Old Testament at the DD Ranch last month.

A "Tidbit" from chapter 9.

Vv. 5, 7, 10, 23 say that Aaron did "as the Lord commanded."

Vv. 4, 6, 23, 24 say "the glory of the Lord appeared," and v. 24 says all the people saw the glory of the Lord.

Amazingly, this chapter of this unknown book of the neglected Old Testament is a direct illustration of what happens when people seeking to know the grace and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3.18; 2 Corinthians 3.18) begin to take Jesus' commands seriously.

Compare the promises and commands of the Lord Jesus in one of the most well-known places of the New Testament, John 14-17 with Leviticus 9.

John 14.15-27--Obey My commands, and I will reveal Myself and My love to you.

John 15.26-16.16--God the Holy Spirit will do all this and more for all who whole-heartedly seek to obey the commands of the Lord Jesus.

Amazingly, Leviticus shows us how to take the sacrifices of Jesus and the sacrifices He now asks of us as seriouslyas did Aaron and the people.  When we are as serious as Moses and Aaron, the prophets and psalms about obeying the commands of the Lord, we will find  the forgiveness, reconciliation, and fellowship Leviticus proclaims, just as Jesus promises and the Epistles explain.

Leviticus is a foundational illustration of the Grace and Glory of the Lord Jesus for us today.

"This is an illustration for the present time." 

Hebrews 9.9. 

(Hebrews 9.1-10.18 help us see what we gain as we "meditate day and night on the Law of the Lord.")

THE PURPOSE OF THE BIBLE

All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable

for teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness,

so that the man of God may be thoroughtly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3.16-17

The word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4.12

One of the main purposes of the Bible is to teach us how the Holy Spirit leads us "to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."  Ephesians 4.22-24. 

We need the Word of God, the Truth from the Lord Jesus, because our hearts are "deceitful above all things and beyond cure."  It is the Scriptures that God uses to "search the heart and examine the mind...."  Jeremiah 17.9-10.

We need the searching, examining, rebuking, correction power of the Holy Spirit's use of Scripture because our hearts

"harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition...

(which) does not come down from heaven

but is earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil...

(and here we) find disorder and evcry evil practice." 

James 3.14-16.

We need this use of Scripture because we are purposely blind to.

"Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand."

Matt. 13.13-17

Jesus said it this way:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye

and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

Matt. 7.3

Our solution is first, prayer:

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,

 so that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 4.16

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139.23-24

Secondly, we must understand that the Scripture is the main tool of the Holy

Spirit to bring about sanctification, holiness, or cleansing from sin.  Most of Psalm 119 is devoted to the ways Scripture is used to give us insight into correction and redirection.

The importance of Scripture is a major topic of prophet and apostle with Christ being the chief authority.

Jesus tells us we are to be cleansed by the word which He has spoken--John 15.3;

which is the word of the Father--John 17.17.

The Psalms tell us that meditation on Scripture ("the Law") will free us from the "strongholds" of our heart--Psalm 1.1-2; 19.7-13.

GOD SPEAKS TO US TODAY

The Lord spoke to Moses:

"I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,

so that the people will hear Me speaking with you

and will always put their trust in you."

Exodus 19.9

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets...

but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..."

Hebrews 1.1-2

God spoke to Moses:

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,

as a man speaks with his friend.

Ex.33.11

God the Son, Jesus, came from Heaven to speak to men:

In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. 

Heb. 1.2

The Holy Spirit speaks to us today:

Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power,

with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

1 Th. 1.5

GRACE IN NEED

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace

to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4.16

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 9.9

"In time of need," oppression or trouble, we can come to God's throne for refuge and abiding with Christ.

For each and every time of trouble/oppression, there is grace to be obtained.

As we approach the Lord in prayer, we

"Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord..."

2 Peter 3.18

When we approach the Lord's throne in prayer, He directs us to the Scripture where the Holy Spirit reveals words of His grace for our immediate need.

This work of grace also reveals weaknesses and prepares us to receive His strength.

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness....

When I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12.9-10

His grace to make us strong is revealed to us when we begin to search the Scriptures to find what He wants to tell us about our specific weakness.

As we read Scripture about our weakness, the Holy Spirit reveals God in His wisdom, power, holiness, righteousness, compassion, patience, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

Then He shows us His promises and directions He will fulfill in our behalf, and much, much more, of course, more than we can ask or think, great and mighty things which we have no idea of at the time.

All of this brings us the fulfillment of Phil. 2.1--

"...encouragement from being united with Christ,

comfort from His love, fellowship with the Spirit,

tenderness and compassion..."

We are then prepared to help others as the Lord has helped us:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Cor. 1.3-4