You can get there with God.

 Someone asked the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon: ‘Which is more important, Bible reading or prayer?’

Spurgeon replied, ‘Which is more important, breathing in or breathing out?’

If you only focus on Bible study and your Bible knowledge, you can be familiar with the Bible but not have personal fellowship with Jesus.

The Bible is our map, but the Holy Spirit is our guide.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Mt 28:19 NIV

So we are to go, but where should I go right now?

Hudson Taylor was a very fruitful missionary in China.

William Carey was a wonderful missionary in India. As a young man he was a shoemaker in England. His family was not rich and he had to work as a tradesman. He was fascinated by foreign languages and he learnt several languages, but he could not study at Oxford University like John Wesley.

He had a talent for foreign languages. Jesus taught that we must invest our talents, and that's what he did.

He became a missionary and moved to India where he learnt Indian languages and translated the Bible. Although he was never able to study at university in England, he founded a university in India.

He also wanted to preach and evangelise, but he totally failed as an evangelist. We all have different gifts.

John Wesley also had a gift for languages, but his mission field was at home in England. He was a marvellous preacher and evangelist.

Why did Hudson Taylor serve as a missionary in China, William Carey in India and John Wesley in England?

They didn't read it in the Bible. Their guide was the Holy Spirit.

Are you gifted with languages? Perhaps not.

Are you called to preach from the pulpit? Maybe not.

Noah was called to build a ship, but I am not a ship builder.

What is your thing? How can you use your talents for Jesus?

Please don't despise your talents, but never forget that your talents have no value without God's guidance.

You are so Valuable to God

 Jesus wanted to explain how valuable every person is in God's eyes.

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Lk 15:8–10 NIV

This woman was poor. She had only ten silver coins, and one coin was lost. This coin would be a mere trifle to a rich woman, but to this woman it was enormously valuable. She searched desperately for her lost treasure until she found the coin.

This coin was of enormous value to the poor woman!

Not only is the lost sinner valuable to God, but also the believers who love God.

Jesus said to his disciples before his arrest.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. Jn 15:9 NIV

Jesus was and is immeasurably important to the Father in heaven. You are just as important to our heavenly Father. If someone really loves, the beloved is very important to them. Otherwise the word ‘love’ is empty and meaningless.

And was this immeasurable love of God only for the chosen apostles?

Jesus told a parable about God's judgement. The faithful and righteous believers gave food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty. They invited strangers into their homes. They cared for the sick and visited the prisoners.

… ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Mt 25:40 NIV

Who are the least of Jesus' brothers and sisters? Lost unbelieving Jews? Weak Christians? Jesus loves all Christians as himself, just as the Father loves his heavenly Son.

Whoever Jesus loves is infinitely valuable to God, and Jesus loves the weakest and least Christians.

Are you far from God? The heavenly Father sacrificed his eternal holy Son for you on the cross.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

That's how precious you are in God's eyes.

You have Potential. Failure is not Final.

 A young woman went to see a psychiatrist. She told him she was schizophrenic and hoped he could help her. After a long conversation, the psychiatrist realised that she was not schizophrenic at all. Her family had imposed this false identity on her as a child.

I had eczema as a small child. I always had to wear gloves and my parents tied my hands to the side of my cot. Otherwise, I would scratch and tear my skin terribly.

Gradually the eczema disappeared, but then I was nervous, hyperactive and clumsy, even though I was intelligent.

Years later, I often visited a school friend. He recently told me how I accidentally spilt a jug of water not just once, but often.

My father encouraged me and I became a good chess player and learnt to appreciate classical music. I studied English literature and German, but in practical matters I kept making silly mistakes. My father was then irritated and critical.

Later I wanted to learn how to use a computer, but with little success.

Then, nearly 30 years ago, I wanted to study the Bible intensively. A friend of mine was studying at a Bible school. He told me that I absolutely needed a computer. That was in 1996.
I bought a computer and resolutely dedicated myself to mastering Windows 95. It wasn't child's play for me, but I didn't give up.

I worked as a language teacher for years. Through diligent effort, I developed my computer skills to the point where I could help my colleagues.

The idea that I was a technical idiot was deeply rooted in my childhood, but I was determined to overcome it. I've been using my computer every day for more than 20 years. I am a blogger and communicate with many people in other countries.

Were you given a false identity from an early age? Did you always hear that you were a failure, an idiot or perhaps mentally disturbed?

At school and at work, we always find cruel people who sense our insecurities and want to exploit them. Maybe that's why you experience bullying and are constantly put down.

None of this comes from God. God created you in his own image.

My mother was always put down by her mother. She went to university but failed miserably. Years later, she found help from a therapist. When she was 60, she went back to university. A few years later, she graduated. She wasn't really a failure.

God is your creator. He has a plan for every person. He doesn't create failures, idiots, mentally disturbed people.

You may be repeating the same negative thoughts about yourself over and over again. Please stop doing that!
Instead, keep repeating God's truth.

God created me and God does not create failures!

God created you for a good purpose. Ask God to show you how He sees you. You have potential.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jer 29:11 NKJV

With God as your guide, your potential can become reality. Even your weaknesses can become strengths.

Failure is not final. A well known American writer said: I failed my way to success.

You can’t earn your salvation. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins on the cross.

But Jesus did not accomplish everything for you so that you could accomplish nothing.

God's Supernatural Love and Protection

 Just as a bird spreads its wings over its young, he will always protect you and be close to you. His faithfulness surrounds you like a strong shield. Psalm 91:4 (Translated from German Hoffnung für Alle)

As a farmer was walking through his yard, he found a dead chicken. It was badly injured, obviously killed by a bird of prey. When he picked up the chicken, four chicks were still alive. The mother died saving her chicks.

When we look around us, we see a world that has come apart at the seams. Who tore this world apart? God didn't do it.

We can blame the devil, but that is only half-truth. We all need to confess that we have somehow gone wrong. We need God's forgiveness so that we don't suffer eternally separated from God and his goodness after we die.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

There are many Christians who believe this. They hope to be taken up to heaven after they die, but their life on earth is only a shadow of the supernatural adventure with God that we see in the Bible.

God wants us to go deeper into His love.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

You can experience God's personal love in this way. But how?

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Mt 7:7–8 NLT

If you learn to experience God's deep love, you must expect attacks from the enemy of your soul, but those who live in close friendship with Jesus can have his supernatural protection.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Ps 91:1–2 NKJV

I know a woman who is familiar with God's faithful love. As she was driving home one evening, God saved her from certain death.

It was too late to brake. She could not avoid a collision. Then she felt a terrible heat. The vehicle drove through her car without making any noise, without causing any damage. It was like something out of a fantasy film.

How did Jesus minister?

 Many Christians begin by proclaiming biblical doctrines.

‘Jesus is the Son of God, who was in eternal fellowship with the Father before creation. We are sinners and need forgiveness. Jesus died for your sins. If you repent and believe, God will forgive you and give you eternal life.’

I believe this is the truth, according to the Bible. There are also Christians who have heard this message and have come to faith as a result. The apostles in the book of Acts also preached this truth often, but not without signs and wonders.

But did Jesus start like this?

What did Jesus say?

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Mt 4:17 NIV

What does this mean? What did the Jews understand at the time? What did ‘the kingdom of heaven’ mean?

We Christians study the whole New Testament and we have other theological explanations, but the Jews at that time were thinking of prophecies in the Old Testament.

After his resurrection and shortly before his return to the Father in heaven, the apostles were still thinking about the restoration of God's kingdom in Israel.

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6 NIV

Why didn't Jesus try to clear up this misunderstanding right from the start? Jesus did not explain theology. He did not start with doctrines.

Later, Jesus asked his disciples what they believed about him.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Mt 16:13–14 NIV

Then he asked them what they themselves believed. Only Peter gave the right answer.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Mt 16:16 NIV

How did Jesus respond? Should the disciples proclaim the whole truth everywhere?

Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Mt 16:20 NIV

Why? The Jews believed that the Messiah would appear as an all-powerful king and commander and force the enemies of God to accept the rule of God. That is what they read in the Old Testament, but we are still waiting for that time. It hasn't come yet.

How did Jesus minister? He preached trust in God, inner purity and love of neighbour, and he healed and healed and healed.

He was rejected by the Bible experts of his time.

When Christians today minister in the same way, with practical love, genuine kindness and miraculous healings, they are rejected by many Bible experts and conservative Christians.

Nothing has changed. God has not changed. He still wants to show his practical love with miraculous healings, and many religious professionals reject this approach, as they always have.

Doctrines are important, but doctrines are often not a good starting point in mission.

In the Gospel of John, we read that Jesus was full of grace and truth, not truth and grace.

What is grace? Undeserved favour and unconditional kindness. Only if this is our starting point, will many people be willing to hear the message of truth.

It is not enough to tell people about the undeserved favour of God. We must demonstrate and practise the genuine kindness of God in our own attitudes and actions.

Loving Words are Powerful

 We are all called and destined to serve Jesus. A servant is one who serves. God is love. Anyone who receives God's love and passes it on with practical love is a follower of Jesus and a servant of God.

Practical help without respect and compassion is not love. There is a poisonous compassion without respect and genuine love by looking down on miserable people. Jesus never treated his fellow human beings like this.

No ordained ministry position enables you to serve Jesus and your fellow human beings. Only the love of God can enable you to help people and please God.

Anyone who follows Jesus with love and wants to help people must cultivate loving thoughts in their soul and always speak encouraging words. Words can kill or give life.

Between 1982 and 2000 there was a great revival in Argentina. Christians organised a Jesus march in a large city.

Homosexual activists also came to protest against the Christians.

The leaders of the Jesus March prayed for wisdom from God. Then something amazing happened. The Christians approached the homosexuals and asked for forgiveness for the cruel treatment of homosexuals by many Christians.

The homosexuals felt the true love of God and some converted to Jesus.

I know Christian women in Germany who visited brothels to help prostitutes. Their motivation was compassion and kindness. One prostitute went to the cinema with one of the Christian women. In the middle of a very secular film, the prostitute shouted out loud.

‘Now I believe in Jesus.’

She had heard the kind words of the Christian women that came from the heart and she felt the love of God.

So should we throw away the Bible? By no means, but we must learn to apply the Bible as the words of a loving and merciful God.

If you understand the Bible as a strict law book, you must ask the Holy Spirit to read the Bible with new eyes.

We find truth in the Bible. Greed, sexual debauchery, lies and hatred are forbidden, but in the Bible we see how Jesus loved the thieves and prostitutes and wanted to help them with deep compassion.

A woman had her baby aborted. Then she received a letter from a religious Christian woman. She read that she would end up in hell because of the murder of her baby. This letter did not come from God's heart.

A missionary, preaching with God's love, told the women that they would see their deceased babies again in God's heaven if they believed in Jesus. That was the truth, but not the truth that kills, but the truth that leads to life.

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Pr 18:21 NLT

The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. Lk 6:45 NRSV

Search me, 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. Ps 139:23–24 NIV

Expect Miracles Today.

 In our time we have seen gifted evangelists. There have been multiple healing miracles and huge numbers are converted to Jesus.

• Some claim that we should not celebrate miraculous healings because not everyone is healed.

• Should doctors not treat sick people because some do not get better?

• Should surgeons give up because some operations don't succeed?

• Should children stop going to school because some children are failing?

I believe we must follow Jesus. Should we try to live virtuously like Jesus? Of course, we should.

• Should we proclaim the good news of eternal life like Jesus?

• Should we love suffering people mercifully?

But nothing more?

How did Jesus minister?

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 NLT

Without regular miraculous healings, the story of Jesus would have been completely different. For Jesus, miraculous healings were indispensable. That is why healings and miracles should be very important in our Christian life. Otherwise, we wouldn't portray Jesus as he really was.

But some claim that these miracles were only meant for back then.

What did Jesus say about this?

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jn 14:12 NIV

Why should we expect miracles and pray for them? Because Jesus told us that his supernatural ministry should be our example.

Why?

Because in his ministry on earth, Jesus accurately portrayed God's eternal character, and that is also our task.

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Jn 14:8–9 NIV

Jesus did not turn away any sick person who asked for healing before the cross. Signs, wonders and healings were not exceptional events, but a revelation of God's eternal character.

Unfortunately, some leaders in the evangelical tradition have not understood this, but our model is not evangelical theology, but Jesus himself as he appears in the Bible.

A well-known evangelist explained that Jesus told him to expect a miracle every day. He was to tell the Christians: 

‘Expect a miracle every day.’

That is radical. But Jesus was also radical.

But when we read the story of Jesus in the Bible, we see Jesus thinking and acting in exactly the same way. Jesus is our role model.

Let the Roots of your Life be in God

 In many churches, you hear a call. The preacher gives an invitation to all those who do not know Jesus personally to accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, Jn 1:10–12 NRSV

Many pray with the pastor and ask Jesus to come into their lives and forgive all their sins. Then we see how some experience a completely new life. They think differently. They speak differently and they live differently.

But sadly, we see others who do not change. Some stay in the church for a while and then disappear.

Others stay in the church, learn to adapt and become religious, but their colleagues at work see no trace of God's love in their lives.

What is the difference?

Jesus explained that the message of God's grace is like a seed. The seed must fall into the ground and take root.

Are you ready to let God's Spirit work deep in your soul? Jesus is no longer on earth in the flesh, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to us.

• The Holy Spirit wants to help you.

• The Holy Spirit wants to heal wounds and scars in your soul.

• The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of love.

• The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Jesus Christ. He is like Jesus himself, but invisible and closer than breathing.  

If you give the Holy Spirit space in your soul, you will be able to read the Bible in a new way. God's word will come alive for you.

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,

and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” Jn 7:37–38 NRSV

You are like a plant in God's garden. Without roots and water, you will die.

Where are the roots of your life? In your job? In your family? In your church?

God gives us work, families and churches. These are gifts from God, but only God himself is the source of your eternal life.

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. 

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. Col 2:6–7 The Living Bible, Paraphrased

Community, Identity and Belonging.

 We all have a longing for community. Without a sense of belonging, we often feel insecure and lonely.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” Gen 2:18 NRSV

On the other hand, we are afraid of rejection by being excluded from our family or community.

Our identity can hardly be separated from our sense of belonging.

Your name identifies you as a member of a nation or religion. Ahmed or Mohammed Ali is probably Muslim. Aaron Goldstein is probably Jewish, and Ashkenazi. Siobon is a woman of Irish origin and Vladimir is Russian.

At a football match, we not only see the footballers, but also most of the spectators belong to one team or another.

Within a nation, many people identify with their region. Many Bavarians regard northern Germans as outsiders. In the Rhineland, there is a rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney in Australia.

In England, Italy, Germany and the United States, we still see a rivalry between North and South. In Germany today people speak of Ossis and Wessis. (East and West Germans.)

In the New Testament, the religious leaders in Jerusalem looked down on the Galileans.
The conflict between north and south in Israel lasted for centuries.

Muslims told me that Muslims should never kill other Muslims. I have asked why there are so many wars between Muslims. The usual answer is that the enemies are not true Muslims.

Once I asked why the enemies in a war are not considered Muslims, but when the pilgrims gather in Mecca every year, all kinds of Muslims are recognised. The Muslim couldn't explain it.

But we Christians are sometimes no different. Some Protestant Christians are convinced that no Catholic can go to heaven. There are also Catholics who believe that only Catholics can be true Christians.

There are Lutherans who condemn all free churches as sects, and there are free churches that look down on Lutherans.

There are also free churches that do not recognise Pentecostals as Christians.

But you are not saved because you belong to a denomination, but through your personal relationship with Jesus.

Shortly before his arrest and execution, Jesus spoke some especially important words to His disciples.

 
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. Jn 15:1 NRSV

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Jn 15:5 NRSV

Your membership does not primarily consist of your membership of your family, your church, your denomination or your nation.

When you live in close fellowship with Jesus, you can get rid of your insecurities. God loves you as his own child.

Are you then no longer who you are? You still remain American or Canadian, man or woman, teacher or taxi driver, perhaps Pentecostal or Baptist or ....

You are you and God has created you uniquely. No one is like you.

But you belong to God's family and you are no longer an ordinary citizen, but a son or daughter of the almighty King in heaven.

You are a Precious Jewel in the Heart of God

 The high priest in Israel wore a breast pocket (or breastplate). There were 12 precious stones on this breastplate. Each gemstone corresponded to one of the tribes of Israel. This meant that the high priest wore all the tribes of Israel on his heart.

And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;
and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; Ex 39:10–11 NASB95

Not all high priests were loving and faithful, but Jesus is now our high priest in heaven.

Jesus carries not only all Jews on his heart, but all people. Every person who trusts and loves Jesus is a jewel in God's heart.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Heb 4:15–16 NLT

And the lost people? The deceived atheists, Hindus and nominal Christians?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

No one is excluded from God's loving heart.

You are like a precious stone in God's eyes. You can also pray for your family and your adversaries. God loves your enemies too.

The Search for Truth

 Are you searching? Life is full of frustration and uncertainty. You want to find meaning in your life, but there are so many questions without answers.

Atheism focuses on this life, the here and now, but you see increasing chaos in the world.

Many are gripped by panic. Can this polluted planet be saved?

Many look for the meaning of life in various religions.

Some search for a mysterious, magical world in Hinduism or New Age mysticism.

Others seek a resigned serenity in Buddhism.

Then there are people who want to find structure, order and justice in Islam because they feel overwhelmed by the diversity and chaos in this world.

Then we think of Jesus. Many have problems with Jesus.

Europeans are disappointed with the Christian religion. What they see in the churches often bears no resemblance to the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 NLT

We see traces of this love and supernatural power in charismatic circles. Unfortunately, there are also some Pentecostal churches in which the love and power of God is overshadowed by legalism and authoritarian leadership.

If we seek the true God, we must not be distracted by the human errors in all religions. If we want to find gold, we must not focus on the dust, but seek the treasure itself.

Some claim that all religions are valid paths to God. But none of the founders of the world's religions taught such a thing.

Buddhists do not believe in an all-powerful personal God. Buddhists are atheists or agnostics.

Mohammed taught that God is the creator and judge, but the God of the Muslims is not a father and has no children. He does not want to have children either.

Buddhists and Hindus believe that we always come back to earth after we die.

Jesus taught that everyone who believes in him and gives their life into God's loving hands will live forever and have a wonderful home in God's heaven.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jn 14:6 NIV

This is either true or it is not true. If the teachings of Jesus are true, then you can find your way out of the chaos.

If you come to the conclusion that the teachings of Jesus are true, you come to a challenge. Jesus wants to save you, not just teach you.

Jesus was never one to spread theological theories, like the ancient Greek philosophers or many academic theologians.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NASB95

Who is the Lord of your Life?

 Who is at the helm of your life. As Christians, we must hand over the leadership of our lives to Jesus. Jesus died to save us from our self-centredness.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Mt 7:21 NIV

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Jn 14:21 NIV

If you love Jesus with all your heart, you will hand over the leadership of your life to Him.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 NIV

Imagine your life is a car. Who should be at the wheel, you or Jesus? Jesus, of course. But really?

Imagine Jesus is at the wheel and you are just a passenger. Is that true?

God doesn't want passengers, or puppets or robots, but disciples.

If God controls and accomplishes everything, we don't need wisdom. A passenger doesn't need wisdom and neither does a puppet.

Who is a disciple? Someone who is always learning something new throughout their life. Jesus is our teacher who always wants to teach us. As our Creator, He has given abilities, and He gives us the freedom to exercise our abilities creatively.

Where do we find this truth in the Bible?

Before the Fall, we see God's purpose for us.

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. Gen 2:19 NIV

Wow! That is radical. Not God, but man gave the animals their names. Adam was not a robot, but a person, the image of God. God makes free creative decisions and man also makes free creative decisions!

We do not see a spiritual robot, but someone who makes important decisions with God's guidance. God wants to have sons and daughters who learn to make good decisions with wisdom from God and also to learn from their mistakes.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV

We see the same teaching in the parable of the talents.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. Mt 25:14–17 NKJV

God wants us to hand over the leadership of our lives to Him, but this new life requires initiative and creativity, active partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Hidden Diamonds in the Mud

 My mother's cellar was flooded. Many of her personal belongings were ruined, including some of her jewellery because the silver was corroded. My cousin and my mother searched for diamonds in the mud.

In the Bible, silver is sometimes a symbol of human nature. Silver is valuable, but it can also be corrupted. After the fall of man, we are all corrupted, but we were originally created in God's image.

This quote from the letter of James shows both aspects of our corrupt human nature.

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Jas 3:8–9 NIV

We must look for the diamonds in corrupt humanity, the traces of the image of God.

John Dawson was a missionary in Los Angeles who came from New Zealand. He wanted to win the manager of a porn shop for Jesus. He explained how Jesus died for our sins and that Jesus wanted to forgive his sins. The man agreed, but he would not or could not meet Jesus himself and receive him personally.

Then John Dawson received a new insight from the Holy Spirit.

He told the man that although he was a tough guy on the outside, he was secretly soft and sensitive on the inside. God had implanted mercy in him. As a porn dealer, he passed on comfort, but false comfort. He had the potential to encourage and comfort people.

New hope sprang up in his heart and he placed his life in God's hands.

Do you see chaos and shame in your life story?

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28 NASB95

Joyce Meyer was sexually abused by her father for years. Her life fell apart. Her first marriage was a disaster. But she believed in Jesus and God rebuilt her life.

She has been helping many emotionally wounded women for years. Through her traumatic experiences, she understands the path to recovery for broken women. That's why she can now be grateful for her trauma.

She has found diamonds in the chaotic mud of her life story. She can now pass these diamonds on to help others.

Expect the Unexpected from God

 When something strange and unprecedented happens, many Christians are sure that it cannot be from God, but in the Bible, God has repeatedly intervened in unprecedented ways.

Hosea was a prophet in the Old Testament.

When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshipping other gods.” Hos 1:2 NLT

Jonah was another prophet. He was swallowed by a huge fish and still escaped alive three days later.

Who did Jesus choose as his first apostles? Fishermen, a corrupt tax collector, a thief. Only Matthew was perhaps theologically trained, and he was the renegade sinner who extorted money for the Romans.

God's Son became an itinerant preacher who was never ordained by men. Nor was he accompanied by respected people.

After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,
and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Lk 8:1–2 NIV

Who was chosen by God to be the first witness of his Son's resurrection? It was actually a witness, Mary Magdalene, ‘from whom he had cast out seven demons.’

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. Jn 20:18 NIV

But the apostles did not believe.

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping.

When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Mk 16:9–11 NIV

In the Bible, God chose witnesses who were not taken seriously by most believers. The Jewish prophets were often only honoured by the Jews after their death.

In the Welsh revival of 1904, God intervened dramatically.

‘The mules in the mines had to be retrained because the miners no longer used profanity in their orders. The man-made denominational barriers broke down completely as believers and pastors worshipped their majestic Lord together.’

https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/36242-welsh-revival-1904 

Not everything that happened in this revival is celebrated by many Christians today.

A few years ago I heard a guest preacher from Wales. She told me about an almost forgotten preacher. She was only 15 years old when she became an anointed preacher. She preached on the street and all sorts of people wanted to hear her, including respectable politicians and despised prostitutes.

When you hear amazing or outrageous stories, please don't be critical. You think you are standing up for biblical truth, but you may be criticising the works of God.

This is the era of the unexpected! This is the era where God will do things that are SO unusual because He wants to reveal His majesty, His glory and His power. We have only just begun to see a ‘drop in the bucket’ of what God will do in this new age.

God is going to demonstrate His power, His glory, His splendour in ways we have never seen before, but it REQUIRES eyes to see and ears to hear.... Lana Vawser. Australia November 2021

What is Faith and Repentance?

 Muslims believe that they can avoid the flames of hell if their virtues outweigh their sins. They endeavour to live a virtuous and religious life in order to earn their eternal reward with Allah.

Jesus taught quite differently.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NASB95

Then we are confronted with a question that will determine our eternal destiny.

What is faith?

After the war, the top leaders of the Nazi government in Germany were arrested. They had to stand trial for war crimes before a court in Nuremberg. Some were then executed.

Before the trial, the Americans appointed chaplains to provide pastoral care for the prisoners.

Some of the leading Nazis were Catholic, others Protestant. They were baptised as children and belonged to this or that denomination. Do you think these criminals would go to God's heaven?

Göring was supposedly Protestant. He wanted nothing to do with Jesus and he didn't want to be humiliated before the court. He committed suicide.

Hitler's foreign minister reacted differently. Von Ribbentrop repented.

Then we have to ask what real repentance is. Many attend a church service, but God does not play an important role in their everyday lives. They confess a sin now and then, but they do not change.

Was Joachim von Ribbentrop really converted? Before his execution, he begged his wife to bring up their children as Christians.

When Jesus began to preach, he told the Jews that they had to believe. What was that supposed to mean? Most Jews already believed in God.

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mk 1:14–15 NIV

What is true repentance? What does repentance mean? The Greek word is METANOIA. It means a significant change of mindset. Whoever repents in the Christian sense changes his thinking and his attitude, just like von Ribbentrop before his execution.

Anyone who genuinely believes in Jesus believes in the risen Son of God. He opens his heart to the love of God. He believes in God's word and the message of Jesus himself.

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. Jn 10:27–28 NRSV

There is a religious faith found in some churches, but so many people in church don't have a personal relationship with Jesus.

What role does Jesus play in your everyday life?

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NRSV

Jesus is still with us. He has sent his Holy Spirit into this world. He wants to help you today.

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NKJV

God wants you to Succeed

 I love success. It feels good. God doesn't want his children to fail. God wants to help you make progress in his work with your talents.

Jesus told of a rich man who entrusted three of his servants with a considerable sum of money each. They were to invest the money productively. They were to act wisely and diligently.

When the rich man returned from a long journey, the first two servants had invested with great success.

The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’

“ ‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ Lk 19:16–17 NLT

The second had brought in five more of his five pounds of silver, and he was rewarded in the same way.

But the third was frightened and did not want to take any risks.

“But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.

I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ Lk 19:20–21 NLT

The rich man was angry and the fearful servant was dismissed.

Many say that Jesus accomplished everything on the cross and we can do nothing to earn our salvation.

This is certainly true. But a wise preacher once said:

Jesus didn't accomplish everything so that you could accomplish nothing.

Success is good, but not always good.

If you use your talents to build a big porn company like Hugh Heffner, the founder of Playboy, you will burn in hell unless you repent and get God's forgiveness.

If you use your spiritual gifts to build a big church and get rich, but the members look to you instead of going into the world as disciples of Jesus, you may finally get into God's heaven, but not as a hero of faith.

Success is good when your success is the work of God in you, through you and with you.

I love success. It feels good.
God doesn't want his children to fail. God wants to help you move forward in his work with your talents.

Burnout. Destress with Jesus

 Are you a free person or a slave? Not only third world labourers or trafficked prostitutes are enslaved.

A manager who has no life apart from his work has no freedom. How many exhausted businessmen or doctors retire and die soon after?

There are also busy housewives who never stop doing everything for their family. Their children may be emotionally neglected because their mother is busy with domestic duties all the time.

There are also devout Christians who are enslaved by their religion.
In the Ten Commandments, we read that one day of every week should be a holy day. We need time off and rest, but there are Christians who are enslaved by Saturday or Sunday duties.

A well-known preacher built up a large church with God's help. Many Christians were blessed and countless people came to faith.

The preacher was involved in his ministry every day. He was particularly busy on Saturday and Sunday. He knew that he could not do everything in his own strength, and he prayed a lot. He refuelled himself daily and was filled with the Holy Spirit.

But not everything was all right. His wife became very unhappy, and his marriage began to falter.

He was a good Christian, and he asked for God's help. God showed him that he should have a day of rest every Monday and restore his relationship with his wife.

A few years ago, I worked as a language teacher and was also active in the church. I went to church twice every Sunday. I drove a minibus on Sunday mornings and I sometimes preached in the evening.

But my father was very old and I only visited him once a month. Then I realised that I had neglected my father.

We need balance. Even Christian discipleship can become slavery.

The Pharisees were chained to their religion, and so can we be.

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
For God said, ‘Honour your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’

But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’
they are not to ‘honour their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Mt 15:1–6 NIV

We need balance and relaxation.

I graduated from university over 50 years ago. I was looking for a change and worked as a taxi driver for a year. We need variety and relaxation. Before the Covid pandemic, many young Europeans travelled to Australia and worked in restaurants or on wineries.

If you have a good car, you don't have to buy a new car often. Many cars stay in good condition for ten years. But a car that is used as a taxi around the clock will break down after a few years.

Many preachers are overworked in ministry, and many suffer from burnout. German culture is very duty-orientated, and many Germans suffer from burnout.

Do you feel like you're on a treadmill? Can't you escape your duties? Many suffer like this, even the few minutes of supposed free time are poisoned by worries and anxieties.

You urgently need a holiday. Your Christian conscience teaches you to pray, but where do you find the time to pray? Even prayer becomes a duty and work.

Jesus is calling you.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NASB95

Jesus can help you with your worries. He can give you insight so that you understand which supposed duties are not necessary.

When you going through life with God's love, you can often enjoy a few minutes of downtime. Instead of thinking about your worries and duties all the time, you can indulge in a sweet daydream.

God will Restore Nature

 God loves music. He invented music. God also loves you. He planned you before the creation of the world.

God wants everything in creation to shine like beautiful art and sing like lovely music.

We see this marvellous beauty in nature. The poets and artists of the Romantic period celebrated this beauty.

This beauty can still be seen, but we also see how we humans are spoiling nature. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean there is a huge pile of rubbish. Dolphins eat plastic bags and choke on them.

God has given us beautiful poppies and we have made effective painkillers from them. The best painkiller for dying cancer patients is heroin, but unfortunately this very good medicine is tragically abused.

God created us as sexual beings, not just to produce children, but to have love, companionship, pleasure and joy, but what do we see in the world? Porn addiction, human trafficking, rape and forced prostitution.

God has made us different. Who can run or dance like the black Africans? But we have so misunderstood our differences that cruel hatred and racism is ruining humanity.

God created us as spiritual beings to live eternally with Him in His own image, but we have corrupted our spirituality. We see cruel religion and witchcraft everywhere.

God is watching all this and He is suffering.

Creation itself is suffering because we humans have failed as stewards of nature.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Gen 1:27–28 NIV

That was in the beginning, but many years later the apostle Paul wrote.

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope

that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Rom 8:20–22 NIV 

Many today see how our planet is corrupted. Our existence is threatened. They want to save our planet through political action. Without God, that would be the only way.

They understand that the fate of the planet is inextricably linked to humanity, but they do not understand that without God our humanity and our existence has no future.

Nature is corrupt because we humans are corrupt. God did not make us this way. We have corrupted God's creation. Only with God can we find the way out.

Finding your Way to Faith

 Preachers often talk about faith. They didn't invent it. It was a favourite topic of Jesus himself.

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Jn 6:28–29 NIV

For Paul, faith was just as important.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Eph 2:8–9 NLT

Maybe you have a longing for God, but you look into your own heart and you see doubt. You see uncertainty. You have questions, but you may not be satisfied with the answers you hear.

In some Church meetings, rituals are offered to guarantee salvation.  

Many are baptised but do not experience new life.
Many say a prayer of commitment, but afterwards they remain uncertain and inwardly unchanged.

You cannot deceive God. He understands your thoughts from afar. Even if you try to deceive yourself, God loves you as you really are. He wants to create a new life in you, not an outward form of religion.

Jesus explained the way that is necessary for many.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Mt 7:7–8 NLT

Before the war, a young Jew lived in Romania.
He was an atheist, but his worldview gave him no comfort.

One day he saw an old Orthodox church and he stepped inside. He saw old people kneeling before an old man. He didn't believe, but he felt the emptiness in his soul.
 
He began to pray.
 
``God. I maintain that you do not exist. But if you do exist, I am not obliged to believe in you. It is your duty to reveal yourself to me.
 
Later he went to the countryside. He was poor and he walked. The sun was setting and he sought shelter in a village.
 
There lived a deeply devout Christian who had been praying to the Lord for years to win a Jew for Jesus.

The young Jewish atheist was warmly welcomed. The host gave him a Bible. When he read the words of Jesus, flames of love were kindled in his heart.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NRSV

From that day on, his life was completely new. Jesus was his best friend and faithful companion in life.

It is better to talk to God yourself, to speak the thoughts of your heart openly, than to say some formulaic prayer.

You can also pray sincerely:

‘If this message is indeed true, come into my life and change my heart and soul. I don't have a firm faith, but I want to believe if you really are as the Bible says.’

Spiritual Abuse. The Way Out.

There are Christians who are seriously ill or under threat. They pray. They quote God's promises from the Bible. And yet they cannot get rid of the illness, or they remain desperate and often panic.

I understand this from my own experience. I am now 75 years old, but as a young man I was a newly converted Christian. I saw a therapist every week and then I became a believing Christian.

My first church was extreme and fanatical.
I experienced the presence of God and His sweet love, but you learnt in church that you should fast repeatedly and be afraid of God's judgement.

The pastors were like little gods, like prophets sitting on a judgement seat. You had to obey, obey, obey.

I was no longer allowed to speak to the therapist every week, but to the pastor.

I couldn't stand the stress.

One day I snapped, I angrily told the pastor I didn’t want to be a Christian. The pastor excommunicated me. He ordered me not to attend any other church. I was supposedly damned until I might repent one day.

That was spiritual abuse. I was devastated.

My parents came to my rescue. I spent a whole year in a psychiatric hospital.

Then I realised that hundreds of other Christians had been excommunicated from that sect. The scales fell from my eyes. I was free to be a normal Christian, no longer condemned.

But the way back to normal life was not so easy.

I had to learn to believe in the God of love and grace. I had to learn to trust God for my healing.

 I had to learn to think for myself instead of remaining a dependent disciple always seeking advice from a pastor.

Maybe you are a Christian, but you are a victim of brainwashing and abuse. If you have experienced this, you are traumatised, and perhaps often physically ill.

Please don't give up. I have learnt to use God's promises in the Bible as a shield and umbrella, and also as a weapon.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. Jn 10:10 NRSV

I read in the Bible that there is a devil. He also infiltrates pious churches. You must learn to resist the devil by believing in God's goodness and kindness.

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 5:1 NRSV 

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Co 5:17 NRSV

I have learnt to overcome abuse and trauma. Now, by God's grace, I can help others find their way out.

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 receive from God. 2 Cor 1:3–4 NIV

You too can walk this path. God has wonderful plans for your life.

Should Wives Always Submit?

 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Eph 5:24 NIV

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Eph 6:5 NIV

Most Christians now agree that slavery is a terrible ungodly institution, but in New Testament times it was built into the fabric of society, so the early Christians had to accept it.

At the same time, the authority of husbands over wives was built into the cultural and legal system of the Roman Empire and the neighbouring Persian Empire. In the historical, legal and cultural context, Paul told wives to submit to their husbands in everything.

If evangelical Christians today understand the obedience of slaves to be a necessity only in a society based on slavery, why do so many of us today consider the submission of wives to be an eternally binding command?

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Eph 5:21–22 NIV

Paul’s teaching on marriage in Ephesians is predicated on mutual submission.

The Holy Spirit in You

 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Mt 5:48 NIV

There are several Bible verses where you can find the expectation that we can be completely free from sin, and must be without sin.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 5:1 NIV

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Rom 6:1–2 NIV

Sin poisons your life. We must never lightly appease or tolerate sin.

But the Bible also warns us that we will never completely reach the goal of sinlessness.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8–9 NIV

The apostle Paul experienced a painful inner struggle against sin and guilt.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Rom 7:24–25 NIV

As the apostle John wrote (above), we will never be 100% without all sin, but if we focus on our faults and sins, we will live a miserable life.

An empty glass may not be completely empty, just as a good life is not completely sinless. An empty glass is full of air.

How can you get rid of the air? If you pour water or coffee into the glass, the air has to come out.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Gal 5:16 NIV

You can never obey God through virtuous exertion. It is impossible.

You can only satisfy God by living in a close personal relationship with the Holy Spirit every minute of every hour of every day.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, Eph 5:18–19 NIV

Paul says that we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit again and again and live in loving fellowship with God and other Christians.

In this way we will live in God's light, and God's light reveals what is evil and casts out darkness.

The Holy Spirit is your Guide

 When Mary became pregnant, her fiancé Joseph was shocked because he was not the father. An angel of the Lord visited him in a dream and explained God's plans to him.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Mt 1:23 NIV

The Father was actually God Himself! We are familiar with this now, but imagine how staggering this was for Joseph! But Joseph believed God.

How often does God Himself intervene in this world, but devout Bible-believing Christians assume it must be from below? Conservative unbelief is a major obstacle for God in our generation, just as it was in the New Testament when the Pharisees questioned everything.

How can we distinguish between what comes from God and what does not? Bible knowledge is important, but the Pharisees in the New Testament were the world champions in Bible knowledge.

In the New Testament, lepers, corrupt officials and prostitutes recognised Jesus as the Son of God, but most Bible experts misinterpreted everything.

The Word of God is our standard in everything, but how we understand God's Word can often be miles away from God's wisdom.

We cling tightly to certain proof texts that confirm our beliefs, but why are we always so sure that our beliefs are always 100% flawlessly correct?

No one is flawless in this life. Is your faith based on the teachings of the Reformers? We find considerable disagreement among the leaders of the Reformation.

Calvin claimed that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit in the New Testament were only for biblical times. Many Reformed Christians believed the gift of prophecy was not intended for later generations.

The leader of the Reformation in Scotland was John Knox. His doctrine of salvation was exactly like Calvin's, but he was recognised as a prophet, and so was Luther.

Many Reformed Christians in our time do not believe in miraculous healings. Martin Luther didn't believe in it at first either, but later he prayed for miraculous healings and God healed.

If we cling inflexibly to doctrines, we can often be wrong.

God sent his Son from heaven to die for our sins and open the way to eternal life.

But before his death on the cross, Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. The Bible experts of his time had spread many erroneous doctrines, but Jesus rejected their faulty theology.

Then Jesus promised that after his ascension, God would still be with us.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. Jn 16:13 NIV

This refers to the inspiration of the writers of the New Testament but not only that. The same Holy Spirit inspires all believers in all generations. We all need the Holy Spirit to help us understand what God is saying to us in prayer and in our reading of the Bible.

The Holy Spirit helped the Reformers and later theologians, but they, like us, were not flawless. Each of us needs the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 Jn 2:27 CSB

So should we ignore all Bible teachers and reject all theology? No. We must be teachable, but each of us must be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, just like Joseph, who experienced a visitation by God's angel in a dream and he obeyed.

Learning to Know the Holy Spirit

When you give your life to Jesus, God himself comes to you and lives in you, right in you.
‘God in you!’

If this is just a theological term for you and not an overwhelming experience, then something has gone terribly wrong.

For many Christians, the Holy Spirit is just a theological doctrine.

But in the Bible, the Holy Spirit was audible, tangible and sometimes even visible.
In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit came upon 120 disciples, both men and women.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Acts 2:2–3 NIV

God is unchanging. He is still God and the Holy Spirit has never changed.

I was in a prayer meeting with my wife. Our little son was also there. We felt the presence of God. Later, our little boy told me that he saw blue flames on our heads.

About ten years ago, I was in a meeting with my wife and about 25 other Christians from Germany, the UK, Australia and Sweden. We all felt the glorious presence of God. Some saw a white cloud in the middle of the room, but I didn't. Later I saw digital photos where the white cloud was visible.

Jesus promised that his disciples would be filled with the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension, and that happened right in Acts chapter 2.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn 7:37–39 NIV

How can ‘rivers of living water’ be just a theological term?

Some Christians want to hold on to a dry, sober religious tradition. They hear rumours of charismatic gatherings where some people go a bit crazy. They warn that we should avoid all dramatic phenomena.

But if we avoid all dramatic experiences, we will no longer have a biblically based Christian life. In the New Testament, Christian discipleship was characterised by dramatic manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

Paul was also familiar with dramatic revelations and miracles. Jesus and Paul never said that God's glory was only a special offer for a limited time.

Paul said that we should test everything. Some Christians have not learnt this.

Some are excited by every dramatic experience. Others don't want to immerse themselves in the streams of the Holy Spirit at all.

What did Paul teach?

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, Eph 5:18 NIV

Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies,
but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 1 Th 5:19–21 CSB

Paul did not say we must avoid everything that seems dramatic.

He said we must not avoid or reject, but test. You can't do that with Bible knowledge alone.

We must learn to recognise the Holy Spirit with our spirit.

It is sad that many Christians throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Gratitude Activates Faith

 In the Bible, Jesus healed countless sick, suffering and disabled people. This is one of the most prominent themes in the New Testament.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read how Jesus healed all those who sought healing from him.

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. Mt 8:16 NIV

When Peter first proclaimed the good news to non-Jews, he summarised Jesus' ministry in the following words.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 NLT

We read the same words in both Bible texts. Jesus healed everyone.

Was this a special offer when Jesus was on earth in the flesh before the cross?

Clearly not.

Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.

The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Jas 5:14–15 NRSV

Here we see the word SAVE. This is a translation of the Greek word SOZO:

This word in the Greek NT sometimes means SAVE and sometimes HEAL

It has always been God's will that the eternal salvation of the soul and salvation from illness should belong together.

We already see both together in the Psalms.

... who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Ps 103:3 NIV

What is the basis for this confident faith in God’s healing?

Firstly, holding on to God's promises and testimonies, no matter what other Christians or even theologians say.

The second is found in the same psalm.

Gratitude.

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Ps 103:2–3 NIV 

Today, countless Muslims are experiencing miraculous healings in the name of Jesus. Millions of Muslims are converting to Jesus. Gratitude for miraculous healings is very often decisive.

In Europe we often see a completely different attitude. So many Christians do not react to miracles with gratitude, but with doubt.

The humanistic culture in Europe has taught us to question everything. Tragically, this way of thinking is not only found in  traditional churches, but also in some free churches.

One of the most important concepts in the Bible is PEACE:

Paul repeatedly greeted the churches in the New Testament with GRACE and PEACE:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Eph 1:2 NRSV

Paul wants to explain to Christians that they have peace through God's grace, that they are reconciled with God and should no longer fear God's judgement and punishment.

But Paul was also Jewish. The Hebrew word for peace is SHALOM:

Peace: shalo̱m also means (external as well as internal) well-being; welfare; well-being;

• God wants to restore us holistically, to reconcile us to himself.

• God wants to heal our wounded souls and broken hearts.

• God wants to free us from illness and all kinds of disabilities.

Not only in heaven, but here and now.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Mt 6:10 NRSV

If you have problems with this teaching, you cannot eliminate your doubts with your logical mind alone.

Try a new approach. Start with gratitude.
Reflect on all the help you have received in life.

There is nothing good in this world that does not come from God.

Christian Activism

 As a little girl, she firmly believed in Jesus and prayed to God with childlike trust. But then she was sexually abused. As a teenager, she was confused and sought solace in marijuana and boys.

I am thinking of stories of more than one or two women who ended up in a brothel, a clinic or on the street.

I am thinking of a young man who was begging on the street in a German city in winter. He lived from donations and told me that he sometimes spent the night with a client.

I know women in Germany who visited brothels to help prostitutes with friendliness. In one year, they found four victims of human trafficking and helped them to return home.

In one Australian state, the government reported that 15-20% of all mentally ill patients committed suicide within 24 hours of being discharged. After that, no more statistics were published. The scandal was simply hushed up.

Yesterday a Christian political activist rang me. He told me to contact the government and demand that we have religious freedom.

I was not at all impressed and told him in very clear terms what I was thinking

Why do these activists protest against abortion, gender mainstreaming etc. but ignore domestic violence, homelessness and the neglect of the mentally ill and victims of abuse?

I told the Christian on the phone that his organisation should be lobbying governments to provide adequate poverty relief and mental health services. He said he had been a homeless drug addict until someone told him about Jesus, and he was born again. He said we just needed more evangelism.

I answered rather angrily that I minister to Christians who are mentally ill or suicidal because of abuse in Christian families and churches.

I know a Christian woman who needed therapy in a psychiatric clinic. In the clinic, she met Christians she had known in Church.

Of course, freedom of speech is important. I am not in favour of gay marriage or gender mainstreaming, but if we focus on a few moral issues and fail to care for broken people, we are misrepresenting Jesus.

A conservative Christian politician in Australia loudly opposed abortion and post-modern gender policies. He said it is better to have a fence and a warning sign at the top of a cliff than an ambulance at the bottom.

But warning signs will not stop people jumping or falling. It is good to promote Biblical principles for personal morality, but we still need ambulances and rehab services.
 
Jesus sharply rebuked the Pharisees for imposing a narrow religious mindset on others, but they didn't care about poor, sick and suffering people.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving kindness and truth go before You. Ps 89:14 NASB95

For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Gal 5:14 NRSV

Only Jesus gives you a Future

 When we watch TV, what do we see? When we walk down the street in the city, what do we see?

What do we see in the office, in the hospital, in schools?

People, people, people.

And what is the future of these people?

Millions die every day.

There are countless corpses and the souls disappear, but where do they go?
Communists and atheists do not believe in any supernatural reality, but in reality many are involved in occultism.

Hindus and Buddhists believe they will always come back, but when this planet perishes, they will finally find no place to live. Will this earth last forever?

The insecurity of Muslims is pitiful. If their virtue does not outweigh their sins, they believe they will have to suffer in the eternal flames of hell. They live in constant fear. Who can confidently claim that their virtue is enough to please God.

But there is a good God who loves you infinitely. He has told us in the Bible that He wants to totally forgive all our sins.

But how can a holy and just God let our sins go unpunished? Our sin has poisoned this planet. It cannot go on like this.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NASB95

God has planned a good future for you, but he will not force you to go his way. But if you are fed up with your present life and want to experience God's love, Jesus is ready to be your companion and guide.

Jesus died on the cross to take your punishment for your sins, but he did not stay dead.

Jesus is waiting for your call for help.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NIV

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NASB95

Your Heavenly Bodyguard

Have you committed your life to the Son of God?
He wants to be your provider, healer and your invincible bodyguard.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Ps 34:7 NIV

In Africa, there are often conflicts between Christians and Muslims. A Christian community was once threatened by angry Muslims. The jihadists wanted to burn down the church and kill the Christians.

The Christians sought refuge in the church and prayed. When the Islamists approached, they were frightened and fled. Why? The Muslims saw powerful angels, God's bodyguards.

Jackie Pullinger is an English woman who moved to Hong Kong at the age of 21 to do missionary work on her own.

She went to the most horrible, dirty and dangerous neighbourhood to reach the prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers for Jesus. With God's power and love, this terrible place was totally transformed.

God was her bodyguard.

Can we therefore expect that as Christians, we will always be immune to all persecution and violence? Unfortunately not.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Mt 5:10–12 NIV

Paul experienced terrible persecution but also many miraculous healings.

Some claim that Paul was seriously ill, that his illness was long-lasting and that God refused to heal him, or that Paul was never healed.

But when we consider the extreme violence that Paul was subjected to and how he was still able to continue his incredibly hard ministry, there is no way he could have done this without repeated miraculous healings.

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 2 Co 11:24–25 NASB95

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. Acts 14:19–20 NIV

Jesus promised us as his disciples that we should expect God's care, protection and healing, but also suffering and persecution.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. Ps 34:19 NASB95

Jesus took your Shame and Guilt

 Jesus died for you to take your punishment upon himself. You no longer need to carry your shame. Don't be ashamed any more. Jesus hung stark naked on the cross to bear your shame.

But we do not believe in a deceased martyr. Jesus came back from the grave. He rose again in the flesh so that we can be sure that his promises are true and reliable.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NASB95

What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Have you entrusted your life to Jesus?

When Jesus died, his disciples panicked and despaired. We, too, are weak. But despite their doubts and misunderstandings, they still loved Jesus.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Jn 20:19–20 NIV

But Thomas was not there. He was traumatised and could not believe until Jesus came to him too. Despite his doubts, he still loved Jesus. When he saw Jesus, the scales fell from his eyes.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jn 20:27–28 NIV

Jesus knew their hearts and his love for them was even stronger. So it is with Jesus and you. If your heart is attached to Jesus despite everything, you must be sure that his love for you is immeasurably stronger.

If you are like Thomas, if your heart is attached to Jesus, you have eternal life. Your old life is over.

Problems with Prayer. Make it Simple

 Prayer is a great blessing for many Christians, but for others it is a problem or a difficult duty.

There are Christians who only pray for a few minutes and then they think they have nothing more to say. Then they become discouraged because they feel inferior.

If you read in a book how Christians have prayed for hours and then seen miraculous acts of God, you may feel compelled to pray at least a whole hour a day. But this gradually becomes a heavy burden.

If you have this problem, stop condemning yourself.

C. Peter Wagner was a lecturer at a Bible school. His knowledge of the Bible and his trust in God were very strong, but he openly admitted that he could not pray for more than twenty minutes. Of course, anyone can recite prayers for hours, but prayer is something completely different, namely meaningful communication with God.

God gave him a huge assignment. He was to found a worldwide prayer movement and organise it as its leader. And that is exactly what he did.

Such a leader is very susceptible to persecution and demonic attacks. He had to pray a lot, but he couldn't pray for more than 20 minutes. He said he needed the support of gifted intercessors. Everyone has their gifts and also their weaknesses.

How can we learn to pray better? If you can only pray meaningfully for a few minutes, then do it, but at least twice a day.

“For who has despised the day of small things? … Zec 4:10 NASB95

It's better to start small and be real with God than to be burdened with meaningless religious duties.

Then you can talk to God briefly and spontaneously during the day.

‘God help me!’ or: ’I don't understand. What do you think?’ or ’Dear God, please make this headache go away. Help me to relax.’

Genuine prayer is personal communication in a personal relationship with God. He loves you.