Underestimating the Power

The Power of God. I had a discussion with someone a little while ago on the issue of obedience to God. The person argued that we cannot perfectly obey God because of our liabilities of being human. When I attempted to speak on the reality of obedience in the Christian life, my friend immediately told me that I was minimizing the extent and damage of sin done to humanity.

The Power of Sin

My friend continued, "Sin has placed us in a position where we cannot help but sin. Sin has totally corupted our nature to the point that sin is the logical and inevitable outcome. Sin is all we can do for we are born sinners and thus must sin."

There does seem to be some truth here. Sin has corrupted our nature. Sin has attacked us at the core. But, my friend, accused me of minimizing the extent of the damage done by sin. To that I argue that my friend has minimized the power of God.

Obedience is based on God's ability

If God, who created all out of things that do not appear (Hebrews 11:3), then why can't God keep us from falling (Jude 1:24) as it says in the word?

What sin can do, I declare God can do more. Whatever evil sin can place on us, God has more power! certainly the creative power of God declares to us that God can do it.

We always talk about God making a way for us. But how about recognizing that God can make a way through us. this is why the Psalmist called for God to use that same creative power to renew his Spirit. (Psalm 51:10)

Is it possible? Was it possible that God spoke the worlds into existence? I declare that the answer to both of those questions is the same answer.

Believe it or Not, it Will Happen

Some say obedience will not happen, but John in the Revelation points to a group, he says "Here are they" essentially saying, "Here they are." He notes that there will be a group who are identified as commandment keepers by the faith OF Jesus. They seek to live God's life. (Revelation 14:12)

They will be obedient to the most high God. In short, just because you are not living it, or seeing it, or even believing it, don't limit the power of God to accomplish it! So maybe I am limiting the power of Sin, but that is only in reference to the creative power of God...

Wrong Time for a Blessing?

Proverbs 27:14 reminds us that there can be a wrong time even for a blessing.  When it is time for something else, and someone comes in and loudly shouts even the right sounding thing, we can find out blessing turning into a curse.  This scripture gives the example of someone yelling the blessing to wake up the sleeper.  It is time for sleeping.  Sleeping has benefits and is a need for the human body.  However, someone might feel the need to wake up the sleeper to give her a blessing.

Yes this is a common occurrence.  Maybe not while literally sleeping, but often we find people giving us "blessings" when they are either not needed or not helpful.  In fact, even when the sentiment is true, we might be giving the "blessing" at the wrong time.  How many have been told to keep their chin up because God will be a "doctor in the sick room" right when the person has not even dealt with the reality of the diagnoses?  How many have been told to "stop crying" for God will bless you right when their spouse has died?

Certainly these sentiments may be true, but just as the blessing that wakes the sleeper is the wrong time and becomes a curse, so does our promises of God's aid at the wrong time.  Certainly we should and must bless folks, but what this text tells me is to make sure that the blessing is at the right time, or it will become a curse to the one receiving it.

Do You Want Victory?

We often lose in our battle because we don't really want to win.  We talk about desiring victory over sin, but we keep the emblems of sin around, "just in case."  Sure we want victory, just not the victory that requires sacrifice.  We want the victory that doesn't require giving up anything.  We want an easy victory

Romans 6:11 gives us the key to victory.  It is a key that is not easy.  It is not what we want to hear.  But it is simply to "reckon" or "consider" yourself dead to sin.  This is a very interesting image.  Reckon yourself dead to sin.  How does one do that?  You do that by simply treating yourself as if you already have the victory.  This is not to say that you will not fall again.  You probably will.  But what it does say is that you are not aiding the enemy in your defeat.

You are acting as if you are victorious.  You are living as if you have already won.  You are standing firm in the victory that God has already given to you.  If you want victory, go ahead and stand in it.  Go ahead and live in it.  Victory is already yours.  For we are simply living in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. (Romans 6:8-Romans 6:9)

The Complete Savior

As we near the close of this earth's history, we find ourselves in need of a complete savior. Too often we fall into the trap of only wanting a partial savior. You know the savior who drapes us with a superficial sappy "love", but never disciplines us.

However, the Jesus who came to this earth is both a savior and a from the penalty of sin and from the power of sin in our lives. We need to stop being happy with the "Jesus-lite" that forever promises us money and fame and success, but never changes us. We need to stop being happy with a Gospel that forgives but never empowers. We need to stop being happy with an incomplete savior.

Yes, Jesus is able to keep us from falling (Jude 1:24). Yes Jesus will forgive us, but also cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). Yes! Let us stop being happy with the "beginning things" and move on to the other things that God wants us to understand and live (Hebrews 6:1-3).

Hope That Transcends Death

Many of us live our lives with little thought for the future.  We assume that we will never have to walk that lonely road that leads into forever.   We see people dying everyday.  We see sickness, accidents, and nature taking away even friends and family, but we never come face to the face with the reality that one day we will not be here.

How can we look at the inevitable demise of our earthly existence?   I am glad that the Apostle reminds us that when we look at death, whether others or our own, we do not have to fear as others fear and have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).   For there is another kingdom that we will have on the other side.   The Apostle reminds us that death itself shall be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).

And if death "shall be" swallowed up in victory, then we need not fear death even today.  We need not allow death and the fear of it to keep us from living the lives that God has given us to live.  We should not allow fear, which will be totally defeated, to beat us.  If we simply beieve what God has said, then all of our todays can be lived in light of this reality.  We can seek to love when loving hurts, for our greatest foe, death, has already been defeated.  If we simply believe this truth, then we can work when working is dangerous, for our greatest foe has been vanquished.  If we would belive this, then we can hope again even when it doesn't look like we have anything to hope for, becuase if death has been defeated, then why can'twe assume that God will work in God's own time to take care of the other lessor entities.

Who Authorized This Ministry?

The other day someone called the phone line for Sabbath Pulpit Ministries with an interesting question. It was a Seventh-day Adventist woman who wanted to know who authorized the website. She wanted to know if I had had proper permission to publish to the web from some denominational or ecclesial body. When I told her that my authorization comes solely from Jesus Christ's command to "go ye therefore," I could tell that the ministry had lost credibility in her eyes.

Still-Born Ministries - No Authorization

Initially, I saw this as simply one person's indictment of this ministry. However, as I thought about this, the gravity of the situation hit me. This individual has a mindset that would preclude her from pushing forth her own God-given dreams of ministry because it was not "authorized properly." And more, she would discourage anyone from pursuing their own ministry, if not "properly authorized." Could it be that part of the long delay is that all of the God inspired ministries of our members are waiting for "proper authorization?"

Your ministry may not qualify you to be a member of ASI, but your is still a God given ministry. You may not have the right to call your ministry "Adventist," but it is still a ministry. You may have people call you on your line and question your authorization, but yours is a ministry.

God's Ministry Plan

The organized structure can't contain the variety of the work that is to be done. When Joel 2:28 is fulfilled and God's spirit is poured out on all flesh and our sons and daughters prophesy let us not be a hindreance to the work that God is doing. Whether authorized by the brethren or not...

So I encourage you to find the ministry that God has tailored you to. If that ministry is a department in the church, praise God and work in that. If that ministry is a new work that your church or conference wishes to support and promote, Go on ahead, in God's grace and do that ministry. If you have been baptized, you are authorized for baptism is your ordination to the ministry God has called you to. If you are experienced in a field, find a way to use it for ministry. And if, yours is a ministry that the church cannot support due to financial or personnel reasons, go on ahead and do it. Just make sure that when someone asks you "who authorized this ministry" you can say with conviction, "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Laughing at God

When Abraham was told that he and Sarah were to have a child, Abraham fell down and laughed. (Gen 17:15-17). He laughed. Sarah, according to Gen 18:11-12, laughed as well. They both laughed at God because both were advanced in years. They were well past the child bearing age. However, the promise that was given to them was not based on their ability. The promise was not in Abraham or Sarah's child bearing possibilities, but in another reality created by the powerful Word of God. The promise was based in the ability of the One giving the promise to fulfill the promise.

Abraham and Sarah desperately wanted this, but it was beyond reason to think it could be true. Think of laughing at God when God makes a promise. It was ridiculous, but this was God's Word. It was impossible, but there is still the promise.

We Have Promises on Our Lives

All of us may have a promise on our lives. God has given us the promise, but it is too hard...nay maybe even impossible. You cannot do it. It is beyond your capability to complete. Perhaps your promise from God is not having a child, but maybe it is completing that degree. Maybe it is changing careers into one that God has been pushing you towards for so many years. Perhaps it is victory over that sin that so easily besets you. I don't know what it is, but I know that you have a promise. This is probably something that you cannot complete, and yet there is still God's promise.

Like so many stories in the Bible, I understand completely where Abraham and Sarah are coming from. It was impossible. It was their very understanding of their inability that clarified the impossibility. But understand or not, the promise is still there.

Understanding the Impossible

And God comes to us who think that God's promise is too big for our understanding and simply says, "Is there anything too hard for God?" (Gen 18:14) This week hold on to that idea as you seek to live in God's promise in your own lives. Then you will see God turn that laugh of disbelief into a laugh of celebration....