CULTIVATING GOD’S PRESENCE

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I have found a new book: Cultivating God’s Presence: Renewing Ancient Practices for Today’s Church by Richard J Roberts which has been helpful in the way I look at how I relate to God. But, and there is a big but, Roberts makes no mention of the fact that Jesus made it possible for our heavenly Father to send the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit to indwell our Spirit to enable believers to live the Christian life. There is no way we can live a holy life without the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is clear that anything good in our lives is a result of the Holy Spirit, The fruit of the Spirit is the Christlike character: a character that reveals what Jesus is like. It is the outward expression of the holy nature of God in the believer. It is actually the development of the life of Christ in the Christian.

In 1 Thessalonians 5;19, Christians are commanded, “Do not quench the Spirit.” We must stay connected to God and always ask Him to help us say not my will but your will be done this day. We must obey God and allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus. Becoming lax in demonstrating the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit is dangerous to our spiritual life. As Christians, we believe that the Holy Spirit is our guarantee or down payment on eternal life (2 Corinthians 1: 21-22; Ephesians 5:15-21)

Imagine the Holy Spirit as a roaring campfire. What happens to the fire when we stop putting in the fuel and instead throw dirt on it? It goes out. It no longer produces the light or heat for which it was started. In the same way, if we neglect our relationship with God and become focused on the things of the world, we will extinguish the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives and no longer produce the fruit of the Spirit.

In addition to the importance of showing others how God’s Spirit can work in our lives, Christians must never underestimate the importance of fulfilling the covenant we made with the God of the universe when we were baptized and received the greatest gift of all: His Holy Spirit.

We all want to experience God’s presence. However, the presence of God is not amenable to a program, nor to a spiritual self-help manual. God is often elusive and even though we pray for his presence the Spirit is not at our beck and call. Jesus reminded us that the movement of the Spirit, like the wind, can be felt but He cannot be controlled: ‘The wind blows where it wishes’ (John 3:8). We cannot guarantee a certain outcome by adopting a particular spiritual practice.

WALKING WITH GOD

“Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:22

“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:24

Enoch was clearly someone quite remarkable even though he lived a somewhat normal life fathering sons and daughters. It is as if the author of Genesis breaks with facts and figures and has to tell us about this person that enjoyed the companionship of God as an ongoing continuous experience. The phrase ‘walking with God’ conjures up a life of constant fellowship with him on the earthly journey. Enoch’s fellowship with God was never broken; his lifespan, unlike that of his forebears, was not limited to a given number of years. Rather, from the moment he commenced his walk with God, Enoch experienced eternal life, beginning right here on earth.

It seems important that we are told, not that God joined in with Enoch’s walk, but that it was Enoch who joined God on his walk. He walked with God, rather than God walking with him. This may seem a subtle distinction, but it is an important one. While we often ask God to join in with and bless whatever we may be doing, ‘to join our walk’, Enoch in contrast, joined God’s walk. The psalmist hints at a similar dynamic when he wrote, ‘Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths’ (Psalm 25:4). Enoch’s life and walk with God raises the possibility for us of a more consistent experience of God’s presence.

Jesus spoke of our having constant fellowship, a constant walk, with God. He made it possible for our heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell our Spirit to enable this walk:

‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’ John 14:23

This is a promise of the presence of the Father and the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. But notice also that Jesus tells us that God’s presence is cultivated by obedience to his word, so this is a conditional promise. The promise of God’s presence is not an enticement nor even a reward to keep us on the straight and narrow path. It is simply the outcome of our obedience.

Matthew’s Gospel, in particular, links our eternal destiny with the way we live now, rather than emphasizing a set of beliefs (Matthew 25: 29-30 and 40-46). Grace is a deep appreciation that we are the recipients of God’s wholly undeserved kindness. Grace is often experienced in worship, as we realize how profound the Father’s love for us is, and that experience in turn leads to deeper worship. It is this experience of the mercy of God which changes our attitudes and leads to sacrificial discipleship (Romans 12:1-2). As we respond to God’s grace it inevitably makes us more gracious as people full of gratitude which spills over into acts of kindness to others.

MAKING A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

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God used the prophet Isaiah to encourage the Children of Israel after they lived in exile for many years. The people no longer believed they had a successful future. Negative thinking patterns kept them trapped. The message delivered by the prophet offered a new way forward for the Children of Israel, and it will do the same for you.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” Isaiah 43:18–19

Forget the Former Things

Success always begins with the decision to forget the former things. We cannot move into the future with God if we are still looking in the rearview mirror. You may have tried to step out in faith and your dreams didn’t work out. Maybe your business failed or the ministry didn’t get off the ground. Perhaps you’ve tried to lose weight but have failed many times.

“Former things” have the power to keep us stuck if we’re not careful. God wants us to understand that despite our past failures, He still has a plan for our future. He has given us the Holy Spirit as our counsellor, teacher, and comforter.

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him... If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.“ Romans 8:9,11

The Holy Spirit is the one who produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22

We must walk by the Spirit

“I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.“ Galatians 5:16-18

As well, He is the one that provides the gifts of the Spirit for ministry, all nine of them.

“A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages.
But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-10

The path to achieving our goals starts with the decision to forget the former things and concentrate on asking God the Father for guidance. Nothing happens without prayer. Jesus made it possible for us to pray to our Heavenly Father. We pray to our Heavenly Father in Jesus’ name and He will ensure the Holy Spirit guides our steps. Note all three persons of the Trinity should be involved in our lives.

Our prayers must be for God’s will to be done in our lives not our will, Then and only then can you do all things through Him who gives you strength.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 ESV

Perceive What God Is Doing

We must learn how to perceive where God is taking us. You may not see the full manifestation of your purpose right now, but if you are being led by the Holy Spirit He will cause circumstances to spring up, which offer clues to guide you forward. It could be that a door unexpectedly opens. Or perhaps a door closes that you thought would stay open.

It’s not our place to know every detail about the future, but if we are in prayer the Holy Spirit will reveal the next step in the journey. In some cases, God has already given us instructions and is waiting for us to make the next move. You must know that God is actively working in your life. If you stop dwelling on the past you can perceive the Holy Spirit’s next step forward.

Trust That God Will Make a Way

It’s important to trust that God is making a way into the unknown places that we can’t handle on our own. If we have a dream that could happen without any assistance from God, then the dream did not come from God. The prospect of walking into our destiny should feel slightly overwhelming, or perhaps even impossible, without help from above. If we limit our future to what we can handle on our own, we will not step into the deeper things that God is doing.

It’s easy to focus on the unknown variables that make us feel unqualified, but that’s why we are in partnership with God. He will make a way in the wilderness where there is no clear path and provide streams in the wasteland when there are no resources. Don’t give your limitations the power to stop you from moving forward with God’s plans.

Make sure that you have at least one good Holy Spirit empowered mentor preferably more than one. A regular weekly connection at least by phone with two others is valuable. If you are in business, organizations like the International Christian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) are helpful. Their websites are http://www.iccc.net and http://www.transformedworkinglife.net

RAISING KIDS WITH A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW

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When you have a biblical worldview, you know that God loves you and He knows you love Him and trust Him. As a result, God is your foundation and His truth guides your decision-making about what you spend money on and what you spend your time on. Moreover, you want to have a good witness so that your family, friends, and those in your workplace see that you use God and His Word for all decision-making.

In a world that has largely excluded God from its life it is imperative we teach our children how to overcome, be resilient, and have a biblical worldview.

How do we raise Bible-minded children in a chaotic culture? That’s what Dr. Kathy Koch, founder, and president of Celebrate Kids, Inc., tackles in her latest book, “Resilient Kids: Raising Them to Embrace Life with Confidence.” “One of the things that does concern me is … the helicoptering, the overprotection of children, the bubble wrapping of kids,” she said. “I’m concerned about that because children need to grow up and develop their own strength. They can’t always depend upon a mom and a dad or a teacher.” Koch said kids’ character is strengthened and faith is developed after we face a challenge. Overprotecting children can weaken them because they’re not able to have these overcomer moments. She also described the power and importance of “resiliency.” “Resiliency is readily recovering from difficulties, readily coming back from trauma, grief, fear, loss,” she said. Another question many Christian parents today struggle with is how to ensure their kids love Jesus throughout their lives — and not simply because their parents do. Koch said it all comes down to the examples we set. “Do they see that we use God and his Word for decision-making?” she asked.

It’s all about our children seeing us live out authentic biblical truth in our lives.

USA MASTERS GOLF WINNER SAYS HE PLAYS GOLF TO GLORIFY GOD

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New Masters champion Scottie Scheffler said he’s “trying to glorify God” through his golf career, giving all the credit to the Lord as he spoke with reporters after his stunning victory. Scheffler was asked how he balances his desire to golf competitively without letting it define him as a person. “The reason why I play golf is: I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life.” The 25-year-old champion golfer didn’t stop there. He went on to say his “identity isn’t a golf score” and shared how his wife, Meredith, recently offered an encouraging reminder of that reality. “Like Meredith told me this morning, she says, ‘If you win this golf tournament today if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots if you never win another golf tournament again,’ she goes, ‘I’m still going to love you, you’re still going to be the same person, Jesus loves you, and nothing changes,’” Scheffler said.

Scottie Scheffler wins the 2022 Masters.

Scheffler said his wife regularly prays for him to experience peace, something he always wants to have on the golf course. Additionally, he seeks to experience “God’s presence.” “Every day when we go out there, Meredith always prays for peace, because that’s what I want to feel on the golf course, is peace and have fun and just feel His presence,” he said. “So that’s her prayer every day. That’s my prayer, and I really felt that today. I felt at peace.” Earlier in the press conference, Scheffler shared how overwhelmed he was before his win. He felt Sunday morning like he might not be ready for all that was unfolding. But Scheffler came to some critical realizations after talking with his wife. “My wife told me, ‘Who are you to say that you’re not ready?’ Who am I to say that I know what’s best for my life?” he said. “What we talked about is: God is in control, and the Lord is leading me, and if today’s my time, then it’s my time.”

TESTIMONIES ARE POWERFUL

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“And they have conquered him (The Accuser/Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:11

Brian Ivie
Brian Tetsuro Ivie

Young Christian filmmaker Brian Tetsuro Ivie says Christians are losing relevancy in modern-day society for not speaking to people’s spiritual and physical needs as Jesus did. To change that, Ivie has teamed up with NBA all-star Steph Curry to create films with original content that will inspire Christians to do both.

Ivie’s testimony is inspiring and is typical of how God works with His new children:

“When I became a Christian, I thought I was gonna leave the film industry entirely because I figured once you became a Christian, you had to go to Africa, or you had to give up all of your dreams,” Ivie told The Christian Post in a recent interview. “I think, in some ways, that was good because it taught me how to just walk with God and not look at my career as something that was going to ultimately fulfill me because it’s not.”

At the beginning of his faith walk, Ivie took part in philanthropy and social work for a few years, a season he pegged as a “desert.” He worked in South Korea and other parts of the world, which is how his film “The Drop Box” came about. The movie, made in partnership with Focus on the Family, told the story of South Korean Pastor Lee Jong-rak, who, after gaining a reputation for his willingness to care for disabled children, built a box into his home’s wall because he did not want any babies to be discarded and left for dead.

Years later, Ivie was asked to make “Emanuel,” which tells the story of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. It was then that he and Steph Curry became acquainted, and soon after, Curry joined the film as an executive producer. 

So when the famous athlete thought about launching his own production company, he brought in Ivie to help create the faith content that would be overtly Christian and inspiring to viewers. 

“It felt like it was the realization of the dream — the new dream and the new vision God had put into my heart when I became a Christian. It felt like the moment where the old dream and the new dream came together. And it felt like, ‘OK, this is God’s plan for my life,’” Ivie said.

LIVING ETERNAL NOW

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What does Covid 19 do to death? It certainly does not make it more frequent; 100 percent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased….Yet [the virus] does do something to death. It forces us to remember it….[The virus] makes death real to us: and that would have been regarded as one of its blessings by most of the great Christians of the past. They thought it good for us to be always aware of our mortality. They were right.

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The future is in God’s hands whether we leave it to Him or not. We just need to get on with whatever work God has put in our hands. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord”. It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received. How are you living your life now? Is your focus on building up treasure on earth or treasure in heaven

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6 :19-21

WHAT COMPELS YOU?

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“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; NIV

Christ died for us, we must no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ Jesus, and let his love flow through us to others. Will we respond as vessels for God’s love in the present Coronavirus context? Let’s step up, not down, as God’s new normal for us is what it has always been for Jesus’ church in the Spirit—engage with all those Jesus connects us, our family, our church family, our workplace and our community.

Peter Paul Rubens, St. Roch interceding for the plague-stricken (Between 1623-1626)

The following reflection highlights the way one pastor and church, Mark Nicklas and his community Beaverton Foursquare, are stepping up and participating in the triune God’s normative mission in the face of the Coronavirus.

They are partnering with other churches, the school across the street, and civic authorities. They understand that we are all in it together. They clearly comprehend that this is no place or time to be lone rangers. We need to work together in solidarity. This pandemic truly affects us all.

We are called to be ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), Mark highlights that the love of Christ is to compel us, like it did Paul and his ministry team. Mark says, “Love is lapped up wherever it is spilled.” God’s love is lavish, so it never runs out. Since Christ died for us, we must no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit guide and direct our every step in love.

Are you living your life with eternity in view? The following scripture is tough but it is true.

“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:21-23

BEARING FRUIT AFTER 44 YEARS

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We are never too old to be a true disciple of Christ, i.e. a disciple who makes more disciples. Listen to the amazing testimony of this Dutch couple who are now living the Christian life and bringing others to Christ. They are excited about what God is doing and will do each day. They are energised, happy, joyful and could not go back to the old church life that they lived for 44 years. You will be challenged by their testimony and hopefully it will cause you to follow their lead and connect with the The Last Reformation (TLR).

DIED TO SELF, ALIVE IN CHRIST

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Paul tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. He also tells us not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Why? So that we will know the perfect will of God for this day and the days ahead.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1

To be transformed, not only do I need Jesus, His blood sacrifice and the Holy Spirit, I also need the Word of God.

Jesus, in His prayer to His heavenly Father said:

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ” John 17:17

This is how we transform our mind, with the Word of truth. It is only then, we will hear from God, perceive correctly the here and now, and know what God has for us to do today.

Our love for Jesus must be such that our hearts desire is to pray this prayer for all of those that God leads us to, or brings across our path. We must never forget God is the one who chooses – “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13

“Jesus, you have brought this person to me, please help me to show them who You are. Also, I know, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, You are able to transform whatever their deficits are into victories, Holy Spirit show me the part I am to play in their journey with you.

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Is it true that God chooses people to have eternal life and yet we must believe to have eternal life? Why are we urged to believe when it is God who gives us the faith?

“Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honour and another for dishonour? Romans 9:18-20

The answer to this paradox is unknown: it is a mystery but Scriptures tell us both are true. Hence, it is imperative we are led by the Holy Spirit moment by moment. The old hymn says it all: “Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”