A WORLD GONE MAD

A WORLD GONE MAD!

MERRY MONDAY BY PARRIS BAILEY

“But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” Numbers 14:21

In some ways it was just another week on planet earth. I was still debriefing from our trip to Shanghai last Sunday when gun shots filled the air on yet ANOTHER SHOOTING in New Orleans on Mother’s Day no less. Between the Benghazi attack in Libya, the acting commissioner of IRS resigning for targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status and the Justice Dept. seizure of Associated Press phone records one can get dizzy on which scandal to get upset about. Then, buried underneath all that hoopla, we must and cannot forget the House of Horrors abortion clinic where they were killing and putting in the freezer precious babies without restraint for years. I was upset about the Christians in China being persecuted along with the babies that are abandoned because of the one child rule when in reality it’s just a world without Christ. To make us feel better the DALAI LAMA came to town and uptowners put up their Tibetan prayer banners to welcome him. Let us also not forget the ever constant tension with Israel. Yes, its another day on planet earth.
Isaiah must have faced similar issues when he cried out in the first verse of Is.64 these words: “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence.” We too make this cry-please come down!
Yet somehow in all of this madness, I feel destiny all around me. It was such a surreal feeling to be standing in a city of 23 million people (Shanghai with 1.5 billion population in China) and be told that we couldn’t have our conference. All it did was empower all of us to go “boldly where no man has gone”. I felt destiny calling me when I get up in the morning to start my daily run through Audubon Park and onto whatever happens to come my way. Paul always relived his Damascus road experience and considered his life a race, an offering well pleasing to God as his spiritual sacrifice. Last Friday I had the honor of seeing a church member’s mother go on to meet The Lord. My sister had the glory of God all over her face as she retold the precious last days she was able to spend with her mom. Once again I was meeting destiny face to face.
How are you responding to this changing world that to be honest is getting quite out of hand? Sometimes I too love to keep my head in the sand. But when the world goes mad, we better find our place and feel the taste of destiny. It’s all around you.

JOSEPH’S WELL #2

JOSEPH’S WELL 2
CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

This is the second part of the incredible prophesy Jacob gave to his son Jacob.

BLESSING OF HEAVEN ABOVE

Gen. 49:25 By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

This is a very powerful part of the prophesy. This is talking about the power of God that falls upon us. Joseph experienced this anointing as a prophet of God. The average person in the Old Testament did not have the same privilege that Joseph had. The anointing was only for prophets, priests, and kings. Today, the Spirit is poured out on all flesh. This anointing, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is available to whosoever will. Call on The Lord, draw near to Him, suddenly, you too will begin to experience the blessing from above.

BLESSINGS OF THE DEEP

Gen. 49:25 By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
This part of the prophesy speaks of the Spirit within us. If you are a Christian, you have access to this promise. This is the life of intimacy we enjoy planted by the well.

BLESSINGS OF THE BREAST

Gen. 49:25 By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

The blessings of the breast speaks to us of one of our great privileges we have in Christ. We are all called to be nurturers. We have the God given ability and desire to pour the love of God into others. This is the blessed life of discipleship that we have been called to.

BLESSINGS OF THE WOMB

Gen. 49:25 By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

This prophesy can refer to nothing less than soul winning and supernatural harvest. This life by the well produces fruitfulness. This is where other plants will grow. As you plant yourself by Joseph’s well don’t be surprised if suddenly you are thrust into the world of supernatural evangelism.

BLESSING ON THOSE SET APART

Gen. 49:26 The blessings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

There is something special about being set apart by God. Joseph was set apart. At first it was painful, but looking back over the lives of the sons of Jacob which life would you want? I think I’m going to hang out by this well.

JOSEPH’S WELL

JOSEPH’S WELL 1

Years ago I was given a word from The Lord that described the future of the ministry The Lord has blessed me with. Some people get nervous about personal words from The Lord. This one was pretty safe, it was entirely scripture. Here it is with a few comments from me.

PLANTED BY A FOUNTAIN

Gen. 49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.

This has been very precious to me over the years. I have enjoyed “drinking” from this spiritual fountain all throughout my ministry. This is the secret to having a fruitful life and ministry.

HARASSMENT AND PERSECUTION

Gen. 49:23 The archers have bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.

We have had our fair share of criticism over the years. I have come to the conclusion that if no one is speaking bad about me something is wrong. The anointing always brings persecution. Ask Joseph, it was just after he put on his Father’s coat (type of the anointing) that his brothers attacked him. Joseph was persecuted throughout his life.

STRENGTHENED BY GOD

Gen. 49:24 But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

The anointing also brings supernatural strength. All of us face various obstacles throughout our Christian walk. Often times, these problems intensify as we drink from the well and begin to walk in a fruitful life and ministry. As long as we stay close to the well and continue to drink we will be fine. The Shepherd, the Rock of Israel hangs out by that well. He becomes a very present help in our times of need.

THE SHEPHERD AND THE STONE

Gen. 49:24 But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

I love this reference to the Shepherd and the Stone. Immediately, all of us think the same thing. The Lord is my Shepherd. Even if I walk through the Valley of The Shadow of Death I will fear no evil because the Shepherd is with me. The Lord is my Rock. My shadow in the times of fiery trials and the very strength of my life.

SUPERNATURAL HELP

Gen. 49:25 By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

This is a promise of divine help. He provides all kinds of help and help at the right time. What kind of need do you have today? Stay close to the fountain, drink in His life. As you do, you are drinking in help itself. Maybe I should say help Himself. The living water that we drink from the well is God the Holy Spirit. He is more help than we could ever need and He is always on time.

PART 2 TOMORROW

GRACE UPON GRACE

GRACE UPON GRACE

GOD’S GRACE

Eph. 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

I am starting a study of the book of Ephesians and seem to be stuck in the opening verses of this majestic book. Paul is consumed with the grace of God. Ever since that first taste of God’s grace on the road to Damascus he has been hopelessly captured by the grace of God. Like he exclaimed in 1 Corinthians, “By the grace of God I am what I am”. God’s grace chased him down, converted him, transformed him into the foremost apostle and author of much of the New Testament, sustained him, empowered him, and helped him finish his race with joy. As I reflect on this verse in the beginning of Ephesians these are some of the thoughts I have racing through my head.

1. GRACE ATTRACTS US — THE LOST ARE UNINTERESTED IN GOD

Gal. 1:15 ¶ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

It was the attraction of God’s grace that captured Paul. Actually, it is the grace of God that captures all of us. How else could I explain my sudden ravenous hunger for God that began at my conversion in the summer of 1973.

2. GRACE CONVERTS US — WE BECOME A NEW CREATURE – A NEW CREATION

2Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We are recreated by the grace of God. Salvation is more than a makeover. We are not the people we used to be. The old is gone and the new has come. We are born again.

3. GRACE TRANSFORMS US

2Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

More than forgiveness happens when we become Christians, total transformation becomes our story. There is an instant, immediate change but that is not where it ends. We step into this grace upon grace life. We begin a life of continual, supernatural metamorphosis by the grace of God. This change will not be complete until we step into the life to come.

4. GRACE SATISFIES US — WE DRINK FROM THE CUP OF GRACE AND WE ARE FILLED

John 1:16 ¶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

All throughout our lives we look high and low for something to complete our life. Is it another person, a career, an accomplishment we need to complete our lives? Maybe it is a possession or winning the lottery. Actually none of these things will make us happy for very long. That is the final accomplishment of grace in our lives. Grace makes God and His goodness real to us. Drinking from this cup of grace will complete and satisfy you more than you can ever imagine.

GRACE UPON GRACE

GRACE UPON GRACE

GOD’S GRACE

Eph. 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

I am starting a study of the book of Ephesians and seem to be stuck in the opening verses of this majestic book. Paul is consumed with the grace of God. Ever since that first taste of God’s grace on the road to Damascus he has been hopelessly captured by the grace of God. Like he exclaimed in 1 Corinthians, “By the grace of God I am what I am”. God’s grace chased him down, converted him, transformed him into the foremost apostle and author of much of the New Testament, sustained him, empowered him, and helped him finish his race with joy. As I reflect on this verse in the beginning of Ephesians these are some of the thoughts I have racing through my head.

1. GRACE ATTRACTS US — THE LOST ARE UNINTERESTED IN GOD

Gal. 1:15 ¶ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

It was the attraction of God’s grace that captured Paul. Actually, it is the grace of God that captures all of us. How else could I explain my sudden ravenous hunger for God that began at my conversion in the summer of 1973.

2. GRACE CONVERTS US — WE BECOME A NEW CREATURE – A NEW CREATION

2Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We are recreated by the grace of God. Salvation is more than a makeover. We are not the people we used to be. The old is gone and the new has come. We are born again.

3. GRACE TRANSFORMS US

2Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

More than forgiveness happens when we become Christians, total transformation becomes our story. There is an instant, immediate change but that is not where it ends. We step into this grace upon grace life. We begin a life of continual, supernatural metamorphosis by the grace of God. This change will not be complete until we step into the life to come.

4. GRACE SATISFIES US — WE DRINK FROM THE CUP OF GRACE AND WE ARE FILLED

John 1:16 ¶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

All throughout our lives we look high and low for something to complete our life. Is it another person, a career, an accomplishment we need to complete our lives? Maybe it is a possession or winning the lottery. Actually none of these things will make us happy for very long. That is the final accomplishment of grace in our lives. Grace makes God and His goodness real to us. Drinking from this cup of grace will complete and satisfy you more than you can ever imagine.

SOFTENED, INFUSED, AND SEALED

SOFTENED, INFUSED, AND SEALED

Eph. 1:13 ¶ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

I love to read old books, especially old books about the Holy Spirit. One of those old treasures I return to often is A. B. Simpson’s book on the Holy Spirit. He has a powerful passage on christians being sealed by the Holy Spirit. I will give you a couple of those quotes today with a few words of my explanation.

“The seal is the token of ownership; and so the Holy Ghost sets us apart, stamping us as the property of God, and marking us as no longer our own, but the purchased possession of Jesus Christ, bought by His blood, bound to live for His service and glory.”

If you are a Christian, I mean a real Christian, you have been sealed or marked by the Spirit of God. The baptism with the Spirit clearly puts something on us that separates us from this world. We are marked by God, we belong to Him and it should be quite obvious.

“Again, the seal is the expression of reality. It cuts its impression in the wax and makes it real, tangible and enduring; and so the Holy Ghost makes the things that we have known, real, and turns into actual experience that which was before but theory. He makes truth real; He makes Christ real; He makes divine things facts in our consciousness and our blessed experience.”

Reality is definitely the work of the Spirit. Many nominal Christians have their beliefs all together like little ducks in a row. Christianity is more than just beliefs. The coming of the Spirit upon us makes spiritual things a reality to us. From that point on your life is quite different, Christ is alive and very real to you and in you.

“Finally, the seal transfers the image and the Holy Ghost imparts to our receptive hearts the very image of Jesus Christ, and leaves the stamp of His character upon our lives. You cannot, however, affix the seal to the hard and settled wax. It must be soft and melted; then the impression is easily made and becomes fixed and abiding; and so God has to soften our hearts before He can seal them. Oh, the blessedness of brokenness! The Holy Spirit is ever seeking to melt our rigidness into tenderness, so that He can impress upon us the stamp of His ownership and His image, and make us the representatives of Christ to all who see and know us.”

I love that, our hearts must be soft and melted. Is your heart soft and melted? That also is the work of the Spirit. His anointing softens us in preparation, He then infuses us with His life. Today, make room for the Holy Spirit. He will soften you, infuse Himself into you, and seal you for Himself.

LOVINGKINDNESS AND TENDER MERCIES

LOVINGKINDNESS AND TENDER MERCIES

Psa. 103:4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

I learned to do word studies in the early days of my ministry from one of my mentors, Dick Mills. Brother Mills had a love and an incredible hunger for God’s word which caused him to delve deeply into the study of Bible words. This scripture verse today has two powerful Hebrew words that bring to us a profound vision of God’s love for His people. The first word is lovingkindness which comes from the Hebrew word chesed. This word is very descriptive. Zodhiates word book says this about chesed. “The basic idea is that of an act of kindness, love or mercy shown to someone. The quality of the kindness shown is usually that reserved for close friends and family members.” I love that The Lord actually takes us into His family and begins to pour His family blessings on us. The greatest of these blessing is His love for us. Now that we are in Christ, He pours His love upon us. His lovingkindness truly lasts forever.
The second word that stands out to me in this verse is tender mercies. This comes from the Hebrew word racham. Strong’s word book brings out the shocking meaning of this word. rakh’-am; compassion; by extension the womb as cherishing the fetus. The Theological Word Book. Says “This root refers to deep love (usually of a “superior” for an “inferior”) rooted in some “natural” bond.” This is absolutely amazing to me. The deepest form of love David could imagine was the love a mother has for a child that begins in her womb. David says that this is like the love The Lord has for us. He crowns our life with the tenderest of mercies.
Now this brings us to the whole point of what this passage is all about. He crowns us, or even better, surrounds us with His lovingkindness and His tender mercies. Our lives, from before we were ever born, are surrounded by God with His lovingkindness and His tender mercies.
This is one of those passages in the Bible that reminds us of how practical God’s love is for us. His love is not just a doctrine to examine in church or Bible class. It is actually an experiential reality that keeps us in the darkest of times. For David, this love is what held him when he was in exile for years. This mercy kept him and restored him when he fell into sin with Bathsheba. This lovingkindness and tender mercies were his bread when his son Absalom tried to take over his father’s kingdom. Maybe you are in trouble today. Maybe depression has grabbed you and tried to choke the very life from you. If so, remember this family love God has for you. Even better, He has loved you from your mother’s womb. You are His. He is with you, watching, caring, and loving you all of your days. Bless The Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name. Don’t ever forget His benefits. He has crowned you with chesed and racham.

ONLY BEGOTTEN

ONLY BEGOTTEN

The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

I have been captured by the first chapter of John for the last two years. Every time I look at it I am struck by the majesty and awe that flow from the pen of John. John had been forever changed by the man from Nazareth who was much more than a man. He was the only begotten Son of the Father. What we see, hear, and feel in the words of John is much more than a doctrinal statement (even though it is very much one). His words brim with life because they are the words of experiential faith, the words of one who has been deeply touched by God. This book is the testimony of Jesus in the life of John. There is power in these words because after all, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy. Charles Spurgeon was obviously also captured by the first chapter of John. Here is something of what he said about this amazing passage.

“You can say, He is divine to me, if he be human to all the world beside. He has done that for me which none but a God could do. He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a heart of adamant, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron. He hath turned for me my mourning into laughter, and my desolation into joy; he hath led my captivity captive, and made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let others think as they will of him, to me he must be the only begotten of the Father: blessed be his name. I want none beside him. In life he is my life, and in death he shall be the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in sickness he makes my bed; in darkness he is my star, and in brightness he is my sun; he is the manna of the camp in the wilderness, and he shall be the new corn of the host when they come to Canaan. Jesus is to me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood: and of truth and grace he is full, infinitely full. My soul, today, bless with all thy might `the only Begotten.”

Who is Jesus to you. John must have had in mind the famous question Jesus had asked the disciples shortly before His death, “Who do men say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” This is the most important question you will ever answer. It’s not just saying the right answer because you heard others respond correctly, it’s having the testimony of Jesus alive in your life. When that occurs you will join with John and call Jesus the only begotten of the Father. You will join with Spurgeon and say “In life he is my life, and in death he shall be the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in darkness he is my star, and in brightness he is my sun”.

ENCAPSULATE

ENCAPSULATE!

MERRY MONDAY! BY PARRIS BAILEY

en·cap·su·late /enˈkaps(y)əˌlāt/ Enclose (something) in or as if in a capsule.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” I Cor.13:12

The word “darkly” in Greek means an enigma or ambiguous kind of life, or in other words when we can’t seem to “get the real picture” and our life seems like a riddle. The word encapsulate comes to mind when we feel as if we are closed in and become fixated on a certain event or weakness in our life. Or we can use the word encapsulate to become fixated on a certain event in time that literally launches us into a new level spiritually. In that case we have found ourselves with an enigma, looking through the eyeglass of our lives seeing darkly but really looking into the face of God.
Here are some interesting thoughts from the Interpreter Bible- “We will be able to dispense with interferences based on the effect and consequences of everyday life. Soon we will be living in perfect understanding and perfect knowledge of God in his presence. All limitations will be gone forever. Wars, suffering, famine, death and catastrophe all cast their shadows over our faith. Through the strange and varied pageant of human history man seeks for God. There is therefore a place for faith and hope, both of them enriched as they are illumined by the spirit of love in the individual and the church. It bids Christians believe that they are not aliens in the world, whose main and urgent purpose is to pass through and out of it until they reach the eternal heaven of light and peace and security. Christians are here to stay, to endure, to fight and to triumph, until all the ambiguity of the darkness is dissipated forever by the light and the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We are to holdfast our imperfect faith. Let us be grateful for the dim reflections. We can celebrate a faith, though aware of its imperfection, which holds within it the inspiration of the highest service and the promise of fullness of life and knowledge and love to come. “Now I know in part, then I shall understand fully”.
It is way too soon to “call it” on your life. You couldn’t possibly have gotten the “full picture” on what God has for you. Sometimes our faith becomes dim or filled with shadows because our “looking glass” is earthy. He will come face to to face with you and will sort out your jumbled upside down life putting all your situations into a precious harmony of melodious music. Yes, we all need to become encapsulated with his presence and start living out our lives in the full enigma of his plan! Now that is some good preaching!

NEVER FORGET YOU

NEVER FORGET YOU

Is. 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.”

There is something special about our moms. Our bond with our mother begins in the womb, we find our nourishment, protection, and life itself from the moment of our conception. This relationship continues in our childhood as we are trained and nourished by our mother in our early years. For most of us, that bond continues throughout our lives. All of these good things we receive from our mom actually come from The Lord. She is just the vessel (who makes her milk anyway). Jonathan Edwards says that all of the good we see in others and receive from others are actually shadows pointing us to God Himself. Here is how he says it.

“In heaven alone is attainment of our highest good. God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper happiness, and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here: better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean.”

One of these beautiful qualities we see in our mother is nourishment. Just as we are nourished from conception into our childhood by our mom, we are nourished by The Lord all of our lives. Augustine had a profound understanding of how all things come from The Lord. Here is shares about our nourishment coming from The Lord through our mother.

“Thus it was that the comforts of a woman’s milk entertained me; for neither my mother nor my nurses filled their own breasts, but You by them gave me the nourishment of infancy according to Your ordinance and that bounty of Yours which underlies all things. For You caused me not to want more than You gave, and those who nourished me willingly to give me what You gave them. For they, by an instinctive affection, were anxious to give me what You had abundantly supplied. It was, in truth, good for them that my good should come from them, though, indeed, it was not from them, but by them; for from You, O God, are all good things, and from my God is all my safety.”

What an amazing thing, The Lord has always provided for us, He just uses different vessels in different seasons of our lives. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this year it would be good to remember that every good gift comes from above.
What season are you in in your life today? Just as God was faithful to meet you in your early days through your mother, the same God is watching and caring for you today.