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Give Us A King!

As we speedily approach the return of Jesus for His bride, as well as the start of the tribulation period which will last seven years, things just seem to get crazier and more wild.  It doesn’t help that in the midst of everything else we have a presidential election coming up within the next several months.  The campaigning of candidates seeking to become the next President of the United States of America has been fierce. The campaign trail started off with several candidates, but in recent months those numbers have been significantly reduced to just a few while it’s been getting more and more wild.  What is going on?

 

It has been said for the past number of years that America is racing towards judgment, and that many of the different things we have experienced in recent years have been warnings from God of what is coming our way if we as a country don’t repent, turn from our wickedness and return back to Him.  America has been at a crossroads these past several years, having to decide if we are going to ignore God’s warnings and stay the course we are currently on, or if we will repent and return back to Him.  Nobody knows at what point our course will be determined, or as some would say we have reached the point of no return.  Many of you have heard of and read the book by Jonathon Cahn called, The Harbingers, a great book that identifies where we as a country are at this time.  If you haven’t read the book, I encourage you to do so as it will, with facts and a Biblical foundation, clearly lay out the path America is currently on.

 

As I look at the political climate of our country, and the craziness of the campaigning that’s been going on, I am seeing something that concerns me.  The biggest concern I have as we approach this election isn’t in who gets voted in, but more importantly who gets ignored and put in a back room somewhere to be forgotten.  It’s not just an issue of political agendas and what we feel are best for this country, though they can make or break it, but it’s an issue of whose country this is.  Are we wanting to welcome God back into the affairs of this country, or it is more an issue of promoting any one or more of the many views, opinions, or rights that we hold dear?

 

When Israel complained to God, wanting a king to rule over them as other countries did, God gave them what they wanted in a man called Saul.  Saul didn’t really have a heart for God, but he did fit the mold of what the Israelites wanted in a king.  And even though he was willing to offer sacrifices to God, it was his rebellion towards God that caused God to take the kingdom of Israel from him and to give it to someone that had a heart for Him.  As we see the direction things are going in with this election process develop, it is clear that people are flocking towards an individual that is saying all the things they are wanting to hear, someone who doesn’t really have a heart for God.  Just as the Israelites got excited about getting a king, especially one that fit the mold of what they thought a king should be like, thinking that God was approving of such when it wasn’t what God wanted for them, even so we have Christians flocking towards this individual as a God-send to restore America to its former glory.  Just as the Israelites had the choice to let God continue to lead them or to have a king, even so we are having the choice to vote for someone who seems to have a heart for God, or to vote for someone that we feel is best qualified to represent us in restoring the prestige and status this Country once held globally for centuries.

 

I’m also reminded of a time in Israel’s history, specifically when they came under the bondage of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar.  The reason they became captive to King Nebuchadnezzar was because they had been rebelling against God and had been involved in idolatry worshipping gods other than the only true God.  God had said they would be in bondage for a period of time, but after two years a prophet stood up and proclaimed it was time to break free of King Nebuchadnezzar.  This prophet was not speaking on behalf of God, and it took another prophet who knew the will of God to take action against the first prophet, and Israel remained in bondage for more than an additional 60 years.  It was hard for the people to grasp the idea that God was wanting them to remain in bondage, ignoring the very reasons they were there in the first place, but what probably messed with their thinking was a statement that the prophet Jeremiah said not once, but three times.  In Jeremiah 27:6, 25:9, and 43:10 the prophet indicated that God said Nebuchadnezzar was “God’s servant”.  America has been in rebellion against God for years, perhaps even decades, and has been committing idolatry worshipping other gods instead of God.  So, if the heart of America doesn’t repent and return to God quickly, it is very possible that whoever becomes the next President, Republican or Democrat, no matter how bad they are or the policies they promote, may actually be the servant of God to help bring judgment upon this country for its rebellion and idolatry against God.

 

So, the question is this.  What will be the most important criteria that will be the basis for the vote you cast come November?  Will it be to have someone who has a heart for God and desires to lead the country as God leads them, or to have someone that you deem is most qualified to ensure the policies and views you hold dear will become or remain as a reality?  It saddens me when I hear of Christians, and Christian leaders, who are willing to compromise their Godly convictions in the pursuit of policies and agendas, finding creative ways to explain why they support a person who doesn’t share or live by those same Godly convictions.  Are they more afraid of the opponents from the other political party and what can happen if they got elected?  Do they trust man more than they do God, the one who established this country from the beginning?

 

I can’t say that I have decided who I will be casting my vote for at this time, but one thing I can say is that I will seek to honor God more than my political views when I cast my vote.  Oh, it doesn’t mean that the person I vote for will win the election, but it will mean that I didn’t forsake God and my Godly convictions by voting for someone that doesn’t have the mind or heart of God.  Where the Israelites wanted a king to lead them more than God, I don’t want that to be said of me, wanting someone that would lead politically in line with my views and opinions more than God.  What about you?????

 

John Johansson

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Is It of God?

Do you have any pet peeves?  Things that just irritate and frustrate you without measure?  I think we could come up with a pretty long list of things that people could give as a pet peeve of theirs.  I have one that just drives me silly sometimes, and that is when people either put words in God’s mouth that He has never said, or they try to say that God doesn’t always mean what He says or the way He said them.  When people begin to put words in God’s mouth, or to downplay or change what He has said to mean something other than what He clearly said, they are in essence changing God into a God that fits the way they want to live or believe, and that is very dangerous.

 

In Revelation 22:18-19, the Apostle John gives a stern warning about taking away from or adding to what is written in the book.  While I believe it is dangerous to do that with any of the books found in the Bible, we need to remember that John is very specific in that his warning is in regards to the Book of the Revelation, and not the Bible as a whole as there was no “Bible” at the time.  Again, even though there is a strong warning not to take away from or add to the Book of the Revelation, it is still a dangerous thing to do with any of the books or letters found in the Bible.

 

In the past several decades we have seen and heard a lot of things within church circles.  We’ve heard of “holy laughter”, gold teeth and dust, just to name a few.  There has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not any or all of these things are of God.  Some would argue that with God all things are possible and we should be open to such manifestations of His power.  Others, still, argue that if it’s not in the Bible then it’s simply not of God.  I take a different approach to this, an approach that many of you might also embrace.

 

I agree that with God all things are possible, and He’s free to manifest Himself in any way He chooses.  When we look at the various reports of different manifestations that have apparently taken place, we need to test them and whether or not they conform to the heart and nature of God towards us.  For example, there was a time when people would begin to act and behave as animals, making animal noises as they did so.  I think it would be safe to say that this wasn’t of God for the simple reason that God looks to exalt us above the animal kingdom, not to lower us to that level.  In fact, God created mankind to have dominion over the animal kingdom, but to have us act and behave as animals would contradict the very nature and mindset of His creating us.  While God can, and does, have a free and sovereign will to do as He pleases, He’s not going to say or do anything that goes against His very nature or His plan for humanity.

 

As a result of those who try to remain open to any manifestation being of God, and even defending it with passion, others go to another extreme that would be viewed as a safe approach to the subject.  They say that if it’s not in the Bible then it’s not of God, but is that true, and is it something that we can rely upon as a test of what is and is not of God?  Some would say that because God giving people gold teeth is not in the Bible, then it surely can’t be of God.  While I have to admit that I may not understand why God would give people gold teeth, as one example, I think one would be hard pressed to arbitrarily conclude that it isn’t of God simply because it isn’t in the Bible.  Let me explain.

 

In John 20:30-31, after the resurrection of Christ, the Apostle John tells us that Jesus did many signs in the presence of His disciples, “which are not written in this book”.  Later in John 21:24-25, the Apostle John goes even further by letting us know that there were a lot of other things that Jesus did that was not even written in the book, so much so that all the books in the world could not contain them if each one was listed.  So, to say that something is not of God simply because it’s not in the Bible is a dangerous thing in that in doing so we could be limiting God by putting Him in a box.  God is greater than any box we may create and try to keep Him inside of.  However, many people attempt to do just that simply because they are too uncomfortable with a God that is free to move and operate in whatever way He chooses, or as a means of controlling how and when God is free to move.

 

So, where does that leave us?  How can we know whether or not something is of God?  The first test, of course, is whether or not it conflicts with Scripture.  If it conflicts with Scripture, then it’s not of God, but if it doesn’t then we need to be open to the possibility that it is of God even though we may not understand or agree with it.  If it doesn’t conflict with Scripture, we have to consider whether or not it goes against the heart and nature of God.  While I may not understand the phenomenon associated with gold teeth, or why God would cause an iron axe head to float, or even change water into wine, I have to be open the possibility that if it is of God there is a pretty good reason for it whether or not I know what that is.  Another test is in the area of the leading of the Holy Spirit.  What is the Holy Spirit telling us about it, if anything?  Or I should first ask, are you even open to the Holy Spirit’s leading, or have you already made a judgment on the subject based on the box you created or your comfort level that hinges on your understanding of it?

 

While we need to be alert to manifestations that are not of God that some are attributing to Him, and to subsequently have no part of, we need to be equally cautious to not be so quick to discount something as not of God simply because it isn’t in the Bible or goes beyond our understanding or comfort levels.  Jesus told us that the time leading up to His return would be filled with deception, and the enemy of our souls is the great deceiver in so many subtle and not so subtle ways.  Let us not be deceived in either extreme as we look forward to His soon and imminent return for His bride.

 

 John Johansson

Is It Legalistic?

I recently saw a post on Facebook with a picture of a prohibited left turn sign, and the caption with it referred to people who would view this sign as a suggestion. The problem with this is that the sign in the picture is not suggesting or making a recommendation on how to make your life better.  This particular sign is classified as a regulatory sign, meaning you are required to obey it or risk significant negative consequences.

 

As I looked at this picture I thought of how many view the Christian life in much the same way. They either view the commands we find in scripture as mere recommendations if they are to experience Gods best in their life, or they simply see them as suggestions with the option to heed them or not.  And even then, some choose to view any of the commands of God as legalistic and enemies of the grace God has given us.

 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a simple definition of “commandment” is; an important rule given by God that tells people how to behave.

 

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus is asked by one of the Pharisees who was a lawyer which is the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus responded by telling him the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.  He followed that up by telling him that the second was like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus proceeds to tell him that on those two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  This dialog was focused on the 10 commandments.

 

In John 14:15 Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will obey His commandments. Did you notice that?  He wasn’t referring to the 10 commandments, but instead His own commandments.  So, if that is the case then we need to see what it is that Jesus commanded of us to do.  Below are just some of Jesus’ commands to His followers.

 

  • “Repent”, Matthew 4:17
  • “Be reconciled with your brother before offering your gift”, Matthew 5:23-24
  • “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”, Matthew 5:44
  • “Do not worry about your life, …”, Matthew 6:25-32
  • “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, …”, Matthew 6:33
  • “Judge not, that you be not judged”, Matthew 7:1
  • Forgive others as God has forgiven you, Matthew 18:21-35
  • “Do not be deceived”, Matthew 24:4
  • “Watch therefore, and pray always …”, Luke 21:34-36
  • “Watch!”, Mark 13:37

 

For those who argue that the teachings of Christ prior to His resurrection do not pertain to us, citing the opinion that it would be legalistic to heed the teachings and commands of Jesus beforehand, let’s see what Jesus had to say about this after His resurrection.

 

After His resurrection Jesus gave clear instructions to the Apostles. Part of what He said touched on this very subject, telling them to “… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, …”, Matthew 28:20.  What He said told them to teach others to observe, or do, everything He had commanded them to do.  There were no qualifiers expressed or implied in any way, like only those I gave after I resurrected, or ones that involved a particular subject matter or not, but instead He said “all”.

 

In I John 2:3-6; 5:3, we are told by the Apostle John that keeping and obeying the commandments is an indicator of whether or not we truly know Him. If we truly love God then we will keep and do His commandments, and if we don’t then we really don’t love Him.  If it’s been a while since you’ve read I John, I encourage you to do so.

 

We live in a society that the measurement of ones love for another is based on the presence and intensity of passion and emotion for the other person. It is important for us to have passion and emotional love for God in our lives.  Jesus told the church in Ephesus that no matter how much they were doing things right, they needed to return to their first love for Him, an intensely passionate love for Him.  However, when Jesus and the Apostles mention our love for God, and the test for whether or not we truly love Him, they do not refer to passion and emotion, but instead one’s obedience to the commandments of God the Father and Jesus Christ.  The obedience isn’t to gain salvation, but instead to demonstrate to Him, others, and ourselves that we truly love Him and are submitted to His lordship in our lives.  This is the test, obedience to His commandments, used multiple times to see how real our love for Him is.

 

I’m reminded of the words of James in James 2. In this chapter James challenges others to show their faith without works, and that he will show his faith by his works.  With that same train of thought a person can say, “Show me your love for God apart from obeying His commandments, and I’ll show you my love for God by my obedience to His commandments.”  Many try to separate works from their relationship with Christ on that basis of grace, but Scripture tells us that our love for Him is manifest in our adherence to His commandments.  We’re not talking salvation through works as that is not possible, because salvation is only by grace through faith.  But, that doesn’t mean our relationship with Him is exempt from being obedient to Him.

 

I find that many who try to live their Christian walk apart from obedience to His commandments, citing to do otherwise is “legalistic”, are living their life as though they won’t be held accountable for their disobedience. With that I have seen that they tend to lack an appreciation for Christ and what He’s done for them, or any inclination that they need to live their life in such a way to demonstrate their love and appreciation for Him.  This is a scary place to be in when Scripture plainly tells us that the love of God is not in us if we are not obeying His commandments.  A lot of times this is evident especially so in their pocket books, where they seek to maintain control over their finances as though it is their own and not Gods, having no true desire to honor God with their money or to acknowledge that it’s all His to begin with.  A Christian that has to find reasons for not tithing to God, much less more than the tenth, seeking “loopholes” of some sort to justify their behavior, is a person trying to split their allegiance between God and money, something that God will not tolerate.  In fact, Scripture tells us whenever we put something or someone before Him it is idolatry.

 

What I’m trying to say in this blog is simple. We are quickly approaching the sudden return of Jesus for His bride, and Scripture is clear that many will be left behind even though they thought they were in good and right standing with Him.  With this sudden appearing of Christ speedily approaching us we need to make sure we are ready for Him, and one of the ways we know that is to see if our love for Him is really what it ought to be.

 

Does your life reflect true love for Him and His lordship in your life? If not, I strongly encourage you to make whatever changes are necessary to get your life where it needs to be.  We are all a work in progress, and that is where His grace and mercy comes in, but where is the attitude of our heart towards Him, sin, and being surrendered to His will and ways?

 

John Johansson

Has an Alarm Sounded for You?

Has an alarm sounded for you? In Sunday School we are currently going through a study on what it sometimes takes in order for some to change.  As a part of that study we have learned about alarms.  Specifically, alarms that sound in our lives warning us of coming destruction if we don’t heed the alarm and make changes in accordance to God’s Word, nature and will for us.

 

What is an alarm? Sometimes it is the sounding of an alert like an alarm clock that wakes us up in the morning.  At other times, it is the sound of a warning letting us know of impending destruction if we don’t heed it and make the necessary changes.

 

When we talk about alarms, it’s funny how some get our attention, and yet others don’t even phase us in any way. In order for an alarm to be effective it has to become more unpleasant to us than what we are wanting or desiring, otherwise we wouldn’t heed it.  When you think of an alarm clock, the soft sounds of a breeze through tree branches or ocean waves crashing against some rocks might not wake you up enough to get up and out of bed, but the sound of an air horn or a fire alarm will probably get you out of bed in a sudden jolt with full adrenalin flowing through your veins.  That alarm was effective.  We see it with our cell phones.  Some ringtones are hard for us to hear to notice, but others get our attention right away and we know that someone is trying to contact us.  What alarms get your attention, and which ones are easy for you to not hear or to ignore?

 

Have you known someone that paid little attention to what they ate, desiring more the enjoyment of the food than to be without, at least until they got the doctors report? Once they got the doctors report it took very little effort on their part to change both what they ate and their eating habits.  The doctors report was an alarm.  What about the person that thinks nothing about the way they drive and end up having a fender bender that was their fault?  The fender bender was an alarm sounding, letting them know that if they don’t make some changes in the way they drive they could end up in a very disastrous accident that could prove fatal in multiple ways.  Or maybe you’ve been embezzling money from your employer, and one day someone decides to take an audit of the company’s finances?  There’s an alarm sounding.  When it comes to change in our lives, what alarms must God sound before we will take notice and change what needs to be changed?

 

It would be great if it only took one alarm to bring change in our life, but for many people it takes multiple alarms before that change comes, if it ever does. The person that initially changed their eating habits eventually goes back to eating the way they used to before the doctor’s report, and now they are suffering from a heart-attack that could’ve been avoided.  Perhaps they live through the heart-attack, and if so that is another louder alarm, but how many more alarms will they need to endure before they change or they suffer the consequences of their poor eating habits?  The person with the fender bender shrugs it off as though it’s nothing big, maybe even trying to pass the blame onto someone or something else because they are too good of a driver, only to end up in a multi-car pileup that cost the life of 5 innocent people.  The person embezzling money slips past the audit undetected and they now feel safe, and as a result starts embezzling more than they had previously only to get caught in a “sting” operation that literally costs them everything they have and ten years in prison, not to mention the reputation they had worked so hard to build up over the years.

 

I recently read in I Peter 4:17 how that judgment first begins in the house of God. Some would say that as Christians we are exempt from God’s judgment, and that we’re free to live as we please because of God’s forgiveness, but that is not the case.  When I think about this verse and the alarms I’ve already mentioned I think of two modern examples for us to consider, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker.  Both of these men loved God and were greatly used of God to reach millions of people with the Gospel, but both of them had sin in their lives exposed that caused their ministries to collapse.  From what I remember of both situations, both of them had people approach them in private about sin in their life, but because of their pride thinking they wouldn’t get caught or that it was okay, they ignored the alarms God was sounding in their lives.  It was only after they kept ignoring the alarms God was sounding to them in private that God had no choice but to bring very public correction to them, and it cost them dearly, perhaps far more than they ever thought they would lose if exposed.  I won’t go into where these men are now as that is not the crux of this blog, but the fact is God had sounded alarms in their lives long before the destruction came that they ignored.  So, God does sound alarms in our lives when we are not living as we ought, but whether or not we heed the alarms and change is strictly up to us.

 

Has God been sounding alarms in your life? Is He trying to warn you of destruction heading your way if you don’t change the way you’re doing something?  I think we all have at one time or another, and we will more than likely hear those alarms in the future as we grow and mature in Him as we should.  Instead of learning things the hard-way as some are so proud to declare for themselves, let us heed the different alarms in our lives and make whatever changes we ought to, all with the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

God loves and accepts us just as we are, but He also loves us to much to leave us as we are.

 

John Johansson

2016

In just a few days we will be entering into the year 2016. Did you ever think that you would see 2016?  I remember growing up wondering if we would even see the year 2000, but obviously we did and now we find ourselves staring at the start of 2016.

 

For some the year 2015 was nothing less than a terrible year for a variety of reasons. Some faced economic collapse, others have had to deal with serious or catastrophic medical issues, and for others either broken relationships or the loss of loved ones.  For others 2015 was a great year.  Maybe they experienced significant career advancements, new additions to their family, or any one of many other exciting things one can imagine.  In either case, the year 2015 is coming to a close, and with that the hope of a better year in 2016 awaits them.

 

Was 2015 a rough year for you, or was it one of much excitement and joy? No matter what, there is a hope in the hearts and minds of many that 2016 will be better than the previous.  Whenever we approach a new year people envision themselves in one way or another turning over a new leaf.  We hear it in those infamous “New Year’s Resolutions” that seem to return each year because they were forgotten shortly after the start of the previous year.  Are you looking forward to any New Year’s Resolutions going into 2016?  Are any of them repeats from previous years, or are they new ones originating from the experiences of 2015?

 

In either case, the year 2016 will be a year to be watched. Outside of the usual excitement and expectations of a new year, 2016 has the potential of being one of the best and worst years on record for mankind.  Whether it is the best or worst for you will depend on your perspective and where you place your hope.  In recent years we have seen the fulfillment of Bible end-time prophesy monopolize the news almost everywhere we look.  As we look forward we can even see things coming our way in the very near future which the Bible tells us will take place in the tribulation period.  If your perspective and hope is centered on Christ, then 2016 has the potential of being the most exciting year ever for you knowing that this could be the year Jesus returns for His bride, the church.  If your perspective and hope is centered on anything or anyone else, then 2016 could potentially be the worst year ever for you if Jesus returns and you are left behind to deal with what will come in the tribulation period.

 

If your life is focused and centered around Jesus, then the excitement comes from the fact you would be caught up to be with Him forever in Heaven. If your life is not focused and centered around Jesus, then what awaits you is a time of extreme trials and tribulations, a time that will be very difficult to live through to say the least.

 

If 2016 is the year that Jesus returns, you do not want to be left behind because things will get far worse than you can ever imagine. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, to live and die for Him alone, then this is the time to change that.  Jesus needs to be your all-in-all, and not just an acquaintance that you turn to when things get tough.  Jesus needs to be more important to you than anything or anyone else in your life, including yourself.  After all, you mean enough to Him that He would give His all for you on a cross so you could spend eternity with Him in Heaven, a place far more grand and spectacular than anything else you could ever imagine in a million years.  If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, then I strongly encourage you to do so ASAP.  A life lived for Jesus is a life far better than anything else this world can give.  It’s all an issue of where your perspective and hope rests upon that will determine what 2016 will hold for you.

 

John Johansson

An Unrealized Gift

Have you ever received a gift that wasn’t complete? You know what I mean.  Perhaps it was a gift card, something that had to be redeemed to purchase the gift of your choosing.  Maybe it was what one would call an “IOU”, where someone gives this to you in a card or envelope promising to give you something in particular at some point in the future.  In either case you received a gift that wasn’t truly realized until it was fulfilled.

 

Another example of such a gift, one that might help make the point better, is the gift of seeds. What if someone gave you a gift of apple seeds?  Those seeds in and of themselves are not much of a gift, but if you plant the seeds and they grow into an apple tree producing a lot of apples, now that would be quite the gift wouldn’t you say?  Especially if you really liked apples.

 

During this time of year people celebrate the greatest gift of all for mankind, and even then in the midst of the celebrating they often times forget about the gift itself. I’m talking about Christmas and the birth of Jesus.  Christmas is without a doubt the biggest and most celebrated of holidays.  It has also become the most commercialized as people spend a lot of money buying gifts and decorations for the holiday, and even giving sizable contributions of various types and amounts to a variety of people and charitable organizations.

 

So, what about this gift that often times gets overlooked in the midst of such activity. It’s the birth of Jesus, God’s gift to mankind.  Churches put on Christmas programs focused around Jesus, and people put up nativity scenes all over the place.  There is also a phrase that some will use to help remind others of this gift, “He is the reason for the season.”  A lot goes into celebrating the birth of this Jesus in a manger, but the problem is that very few ever allow Him to leave the manger.  As a result, for most they never truly experience the gift of Jesus as God intended them to.  Let me explain.

 

God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, as a gift for all mankind, but the gift was not fulfilled in the manger as many attempt to do. Instead, the gift was fulfilled on a wooden cross hoisted on the top of Golgotha about 33 years later, and was realized three days later when He was resurrected from the dead.  This was the gift God had destined for all mankind, the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus.

 

We get all excited about the birth of Jesus, and rightfully so, but if we don’t let Him out of the manger and let Him get on a cross, then our celebrating of His birth is all in vain. If Jesus hadn’t died and rose again then there would be no celebrating of Christmas, or at least nothing anywhere close to what it is, and it wouldn’t have any real significance for us.

 

Are you embracing the gift God has given us as He intended we do, or are you just keeping Him in a manger where it’s safe and non-threatening to you and the way your living? People love Jesus while He is in a manger because a baby doesn’t threaten or interfere in their way of life, but if they let Jesus out of the manger to die on a cross then that forces them to take a real close look at their own lives in light of what Jesus did on their behalf, and a lot of people don’t like that.

 

As we celebrate the birth of this gift God has given us, will you also remember to let Him out of the manger to receive God’s gift to you in all His fullness??? He is more than the reason for the season, He’s the reason for celebrating the life He’s giving us in heaven through the cross and His resurrection.

 

He is the gift unrealized.

 

John Johansson

C G and C

Many people are haunted with memories of their past.  They struggle with thoughts and regrets of how they should’ve handled things better, and now they are in an emotional prison of sorts.  I’m not talking of things for which you had no control over, but rather instead those times when you had the opportunity of handling or responding to situations differently than you had.  While there may be better and more sophisticated ways of addressing these, I want to simplify things by breaking things up into three groups, condemnation, guilt, and conviction.

 

I’ve found that a lot of people I’ve talked to in the past are confused about what condemnation, guilt, and conviction are or look like, and because of it they don’t know how to deal with them.  The first group called condemnation is a nasty one.  Sometimes others are the source of condemnation, and other times it is self-inflicted.  Condemnation is fairly easy to spot, but not so easy to deal with.  Regardless of its source, condemnation devalues and degrades people.  With condemnation you will hear statements like; “you’ll never amount to anything”, “I’m no good”, “I’ll never be good enough”, or “you’re not worth it”.  All these and other like statements do is destroy your self-esteem and sense of self-worth.  These statements basically knock you down, and then work to keep you down.  Do these statements, or thoughts, reflect how God views you?  NO!  God knows and believes you are very, very special, and He has a very special plan for you.  God wants you to not only know that, but to also believe it.  God will never belittle you or make you feel hopeless or worthless.  He sent His Only Son, Jesus, to come and die so that you could have life and life eternal.  You are worth it to Him!

 

The second group is guilt.  There is a good or healthy type of guilt, and there is a bad and unhealthy type of guilt.  The bad and unhealthy type of guilt are those things that you take upon yourself when they are not yours to take.  These could look something like feeling guilty because your distant cousin three states away fell and broke his leg the other day while you were home working in your garage.  This may be a bit of an extreme scenario but I think you get the point.  Some people have a way, one way or another, of feeling guilty over things that they have absolutely nothing to do with.  This is unhealthy guilt.  The good and healthy guilt is when you it is for things that you were responsible for.  Guilt comes when we become aware of or acknowledge we should have done things differently in a given situation.  Guilt tells us that the way we responded or treated someone was wrong, or that we went somewhere that we shouldn’t have, or that we should’ve said or done something when we didn’t.  Guilt is knowing that something we said or did, or didn’t say or do, was wrong and we should have done differently.  Many people deal with guilt and never get past it.  The more guilt they feel the greater the chances are that they will begin to feel condemnation in their life.  The more they feel guilty the harder it is for them to move on in life.

 

The third group is conviction.  This is similar to guilt but with one added twist to it.  Guilt tells us we were wrong in something, but conviction tells us that we were wrong in something and gives us hope by giving us direction on how to make things right and to be free of it.  Granted, sometimes the direction conviction gives us to make things right is not what we are wanting to hear, and therefore we see the conviction as guilt with nothing we can do about it.  God’s Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, and the purpose of it is so that we will make the necessary changes to make things right in His sight.  God’s heart is that we be right with Him in all our ways, and because of that He will let us know what we need to do to make that happen.  Conviction gives us hope that we can rise above what we’ve done if we follow and obey His lead in how to make things right in His sight.  Conviction is what leads us to salvation, where we recognize that we are lost and dead in sin, and with that He gives us the instructions we need on how to get free of it and be made right in His sight through a life surrendered to Jesus.  Some people think that the moment we responded to His conviction of sin and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior then it’s a done deal.  All our sin is taken care of with nothing more to worry about think, but this is a bit off.  Yes, Jesus’ death made provision for all our sins, past, present, and future, but if all our present and future sins are already covered then why should the Holy Spirit convict us of sin?  Some don’t recognize God’s conviction as conviction in order to avoid making life changes that are pleasing in His sight.  And as I mentioned earlier, some don’t recognize conviction because they don’t like or accept any of the instructions God is giving them to make things right in His sight.  Conviction is something that we should all welcome in our lives as it works to make us more like Jesus, and it prepares us for that trumpet sound we are waiting to hear.  To squelch conviction in our lives, and we can do that, we are in essence quenching this role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The more we ignore conviction we become harder in our heart and more stubborn in our ways, and this can have dire eternal consequences in our life if left unchanged.

 

So, hopefully this helps clear up the confusion regarding condemnation, guilt, and conviction.  In Romans 8:1 we’re told that there is now no condemnation for those who live according to the Spirit, but there is condemnation for those who live according to the flesh.  Condemnation is not what God has for us as His followers, but if we are living according to the flesh then we are subject to it.  Good and healthy guilt can help us recognize when we’ve done wrong, which is important in order to for God to help us with it.  And conviction is vital in the life of every Christian, and not just convicting the sinner to salvation, because it helps us know when we’ve violated God’s will and nature in our lives and shows us how to make things right with Him and others.  If we are living to honor and please God with our lives, and to accurately represent Him to the world as His ambassadors, then we need to welcome conviction instead of ignoring or pushing it aside.

 

John Johansson

Pushing It

A couple weeks ago while watching a football game on TV, someone commented about how much the players push themselves physically. Immediately I thought of the words of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 9:24-27.  In this passage he talks of how he disciplines his body and puts it into subjection so that he wouldn’t become disqualified.  I have to ask myself whether or not I’m following the example Paul has left us to follow.  Am I disciplining, or pushing myself, as I ought to in my pursuit of and devotion to Christ?  What about you?  When was the last time you asked yourself that question?

 

It’s easy for us to say we’re doing good if we haven’t fallen into any of the “big” sins dancing in front of us wherever we look, but does that mean we’re pushing ourselves as we should be? Probably not.  Think about it.  We can pat ourselves on the back if we haven’t been involved in adultery, drugs, alcoholism, or murder.  But what about gossip, compromise, gluttony, and other not so big and subtle sins?  Have we pushed ourselves to stay clear of these, or have we played “patty-cake” with them thinking we’re still okay, and that God “understands”?

 

It’s sometimes rather funny, and yet sad at the same time, to hear of some of the rationalizing people devise within themselves to make allowances for behavior that is contrary to the heart and nature of God. We are called to be transformed into the image of Christ, to be His ambassadors to a lost and dying world.  As such, we should then be pushing ourselves to live in a way that is honoring and pleasing in God’s sight, refraining from and dying to the sins that so easily beset us.  We are all tempted to sin, no matter how big or small it may be.  James tells us in James 1:12-16 that we are tempted when we’re drawn away by our own desires and enticed.  Our flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the nature of Christ, and to surrender to those desires is simply sin.  Are we content with living as we have been, or are we pushing forward to become more like Christ in all we do?  You know, to be content with living as we have been, making allowances for things in our life that should not be, that in itself is sin, the sin of complacency.

 

People talk about how hard it is to turn from the different temptations and sins we face continually. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 12:4 that we have not yet resisted to bloodshed striving against sin.  Where is our resistance to sin, and where is our pursuit and commitment to live as we ought for the sake of Christ and the Gospel?  Is this something we can do on our own, with our own will power, or do we need help to do this?  We cannot resist sin and purpose to live as we ought in our own will power.  We need the help of the Holy Spirit to do this, and that requires us to be sensitive to His voice and obedient to His leading, but it is up to us to resist and depend on Him, leaving the rest to Him.

 

I think it is safe to say that we all could be doing a better job of pushing ourselves for the Kingdom. As the day of Jesus’ return for His bride draws ever so close, it becomes more and more important that we push ourselves for Him.  If the Apostle Paul, himself, was concerned enough about finding himself disqualified for salvation to the point that he trained and fought as though only one wins the prize, then how much more should we as we consider Paul’s resume compared to our own?  Let us this day renew our commitment to live for and pursue Him, to surrender our desires and very life to Him, so that we too can be assured of winning the prize.

 

John Johansson

The Final Act is Being Prepared

We are living in some very exciting days right now. Biblical end-time prophecy is unfolding like never before, and we have the grand opportunity to see it unfold before our very eyes. While it is true that there are no more prophecies needing to be fulfilled before the Church can be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, we are seeing the final steps being taken to set the stage for the start of the tribulation period and the unveiling of the Anti-Christ. From a Christian standpoint we are truly living in exciting days no matter how bad things are getting because we see these things as signs alerting us to Jesus’ return for His Bride. What is ironic is that both the Jews and the Muslims are expecting their messiahs to arrive any day now, which according to end-time prophecy will probably be the same person, someone we know to be called the Anti-Christ.

 

Over the next several days it appears that the stage will finally be set for the arrival of the Anti-Christ. He may not take the stage right away, so to speak, and it could perhaps be several months or years before he does, but nonetheless everything will be in place for that to happen. What will it take for him to step into that position we don’t know, but one can speculate a lot of ideas for it. What we do know for certain is that he will be the one that confirms a 7-year treaty of some sort with Israel, and that will be the sign God gives to identify who he is. We also know that before that can happen, before he can be revealed for who he is, the one that restrains him must be taken away. Who is the one that must be taken away? Many say it is the Holy Spirit, and others say it is the Church. I personally believe it to be the Church, the Bride of Christ. While the role of the Holy Spirit here on earth may change very significantly after the rapture of the Church, I believe He will still be here in some capacity since God is everywhere all the time. In either case, even if the Holy Spirit is the one referred to as the one who restrains and is taken away, the Church would have to go with Him. Jesus promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us, and we are told that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so that would only mean that if the Holy Spirit is removed then the Church would have to be removed as well.

 

What does that mean for us? Well, it means that the return of Jesus for His Bride is very, very, near, and we need to make sure we are watching and ready for Him when He does return. I’m not going to get into what it means to be watching for Jesus to return, but Scripture is very clear that only those Christians who are watching for Him will be caught up, or in other words called up to meet Him in the air.

 

As the return of Jesus draws ever so close it is also imperative we make sure we are not only watching for Him but also preparing for Him. Is there anything, or anyone, in our life that commands our attention or loyalties more than Him? If so, then we need to make some changes to put Him in His rightful place in our lives. What do we pursue the most, or who do we seek to please more than Christ? We can say He’s number one in our lives, but would the way we live support that statement, or are we deceiving ourselves? Seek the Lord and ask Him if there is an area, any area, or any person, that keeps Him from His rightful place in your life, and if so ask for His help in making the necessary changes to correct that. When you ask the Lord about this, make sure you’re listening for an answer even if it’s one you don’t like and not just listening for an answer that meets your criteria. Jesus is coming soon. The set is being prepared for the final act even as I type this, and it would behoove us to be wise and prepare for it in advance. It isn’t something to take casually, but something to prepare for at all times.

 

John Johansson

Forgiveness of Sins

Here is the third of a series of blogs I will be putting out to help us prepare for the soon return of Jesus for His Bride. If you were to give a name to this series of blogs I would have to call it “The Rapture Prep” series. This isn’t so much a series on explaining the rapture and what it is or is not, but instead the focus is to help us prepare for His return. The previous two blogs of this series was called “Recalibrating Our Thoughts” and “Are You Watching?” In this blog I want to address the subject of forgiveness.

 

To begin with, Jesus mentioned forgiveness a number of times in the New Testament. Many try to discount them citing that they were teachings before He died and resurrected, but these are not teachings to ignore. In fact, these teachings of His were different from what we find in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament we continually read of people asking God for forgiveness, or asking for forgiveness on the behalf of others, but very little instruction was given for people to forgive others. In fact, instead we read of what many live by “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”. So, why would Jesus call people to change the way they lived in regards to forgiveness if it was going to be invalid in about three years? This doesn’t make any sense.

 

Jesus’ teachings actually raised the bar on how we are to live. In the Old Testament the people were judged and deemed righteous or not based on their words and actions, but Jesus took it to a new level when His focus was on the heart and its attitudes and motivations. Nowhere do we read of Jesus telling us, before or after His resurrection, to disregard any or all the commandments. What we do read is that He gave us two commandments to live by, and He further went on to say that the law is fulfilled in obeying the two He gave us. In the Old Testament, a person could hide to a point what was actually in their heart and present themselves as righteous, but in the New Testament we learn that God now looks right past our words and actions and focuses on our heart. There is no hiding from Him, and while we may be able to keep others from seeing sin in our heart or the wrong attitudes and motivations of the heart, we cannot hide these from God.

 

What Jesus was teaching us was definitely based on the relationship we could have with the Father after His ascension. We could never really call God Father until we had relationship with Him through Jesus, but Jesus teaches us to call God Father, something we couldn’t do before. Jesus taught a message of love and grace that we can’t really do apart from the Holy Spirit, especially towards those who hate, despise, or take advantage of us, but He also taught a message of obedience to Him and His commandments. Jesus would mention what the law would say, and then He would tell us to live it in our heart and not just in word or action. For example, He mentioned the law that says not to commit murder, but He raised the standard when He focused on our heart and that any hate we may have for another is the same thing in the eyes of God.

 

Having said that, we need to remember what Jesus said in regards to forgiveness. He indicated that we are to forgive others, so strongly did He make that point that He went on to say that if we don’t forgive then the Father will not forgive us. In what we know as the “Lord’s Prayer”, even then Jesus makes the statement, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others their trespasses against us”. Some argue that this does not apply to us since it was prior to Jesus’ resurrection, but that is far from the truth. Jesus was teaching us how to pray when He would no longer be with us. This is especially evident, as we indicated earlier, because He taught us to call God “our Father” in the same prayer, something we could not truly do until after the resurrection when relationship with God was made possible.

 

When we look at the parable of the unforgiving servant we learn something more about forgiveness. The point of a parable is to relay a truth that might not be otherwise understandable by the hearer, and Jesus is making a point in this parable that we need to learn. In this parable the king represents God, and the servants represent Christians. At a designated time the king decides to settle accounts with his servants. One of his servants owed him a VERY significant amount of money and the king was going to sell him, his wife and children, and all that he had to pay the debt. The servant begged for more time with a promise to pay back all that he owed. The king had compassion on him and forgave him his debt. This same servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him penny’s by comparison to what the king forgave him of, and after demanding payment laid hold of that other servant and had him thrown into prison. Later word came to the king of what this servant did, and he was grieved and called for him. The king called him a wicked servant, who after being forgiven of much did not share the same compassion towards another that the king had given him, and the king then sent him to the torturers until he paid all. Jesus concludes with telling us that God will do the same for anyone who, from their heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

 

Again, some argue that this doesn’t apply to us, but it does. It reinforces what Jesus has already told us, God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive others their trespasses against us. This is not typical Old Testament teachings, but instead New Testament teachings for the dispensation of grace we would soon be living in after His resurrection.

 

You know, something else that crossed my mind a few years ago. In the Lord’s Prayer we are told to pray, “forgive us as we forgive others their trespasses against us”. What if God were to really forgive us as we forgive others, not just in whether or not we forgive, but if we have conditions and/or requirements that must be fulfilled before we are willing to forgive? How many of us would want God to forgive us on the same basis that we forgive others? Scary thought.

 

One more thing. We know that Christ’s death was sufficient to pay the debt of all our sins, past, present and future, but how is that applied? Was asking God for forgiveness when we accepted Christ as our Savior sufficient to the point that we no longer have to ask for it? Some argue that since we asked for His forgiveness of our sins when we got saved, then we no longer have to worry about asking forgiveness of sins since it was already covered. This way of thinking is inconsistent with Scripture. Yes, His death was sufficient for all the sins we have or will ever commit, but that doesn’t mean we don’t acknowledge sin in our life and ask for His forgiveness of it later on in life. When John, the disciple of Jesus and His Apostle wrote in 1 John, he makes the statement “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Did you notice anything about this? One, he says “if we confess our sins”. He is including himself when he says “we”. If we no longer have to ask for God’s forgiveness then why is John including himself in that statement? He’s not saying it as something from the past, but instead the present and the future. He also does not indicate that the sin was already forgiven, but that it would be forgiven. The forgiveness given us by God through Christ is only applied to the sin in our life that we acknowledge and ask His forgiveness of.

 

Also, the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12:1, speaking to Christians and himself, that we are to “lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us …”. The writer here is basically telling us to get rid of the sin that we get caught up in so easily. In Romans 6 it is very clear that we as Christians are not to continue in sin even though we are under grace. The Apostle Paul tells us that as Christian’s sin does not have dominion over us since we are no longer under the law but under grace. But, he also tells us that even though we are under grace we are not to continue in sin, and that we become slaves of whatever we submit ourselves to. To repent of and ask forgiveness of sin in our life means that we are to turn from that sin and no longer continue in it. That’s what true repentance is about, to turn away from sin. This is where we return to 1 John 1:9 where we’re told if we confess our sin, which involves acknowledging it, asking forgiveness and turning from it both in our heart and actions, He is faithful and just to forgive us. We are so blessed to have that assurance.

 

So, in conclusion, Jesus’s death was sufficient to cover all our sins, past, present and future. While at the point of salvation all our past sins are covered, any sin we do afterwards needs to be acknowledged as sin with the understanding that we need to ask for forgiveness and no longer continue in that sin. To refuse to do so shows a prideful heart that doesn’t see the need to acknowledge it, much less turn from it. Even though we do live under grace, it is very clear in scripture that we are not to continue in sin as we will then become the slaves of it. Just because we sin does not automatically or immediately result in broken relationship with Jesus, but it is clear that if we continue in sin with a heart that says it’s okay to continue in it we run the tremendous risk of dying spiritually. Paul is clear in Romans 8 that Christians living according to the flesh will die spiritually if they continue in it. Prior to salvation we are all spiritually dead, so Paul’s words about those living according to the flesh dying is in reference to Christians who had become alive in Christ.

 

When I was in high school someone I know stressed something to me, and that was the fact that unlike the Old Testament that was focused on words and actions, the New Testament starting with the teachings of Jesus focuses on the heart with its motivations and attitudes. Where is your heart? This is what God is looking at. As we see the return of Jesus for His bride getting ever so close, it is now more important than ever before that we make sure we place our sins under His blood through acknowledgment and true repentance. Just because there is sin does not mean we will miss the rapture, but if our heart finds ways to justify staying in sin then we do run the risk we will be left behind. I don’t want that to happen to me or to you. Praise God for salvation which gives us the opportunity to no longer live in or be in bondage to sin! Let us live worthy of such salvation!

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